


The Moon's Dragon

by BeckyL1995



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adventure, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Drama, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Post-Canon, Romance, Southern Water Tribe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:21:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 31,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23030857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeckyL1995/pseuds/BeckyL1995
Summary: "I used to rise with the sun, but now I rise with the moon". Three and a half years after Zuko's coronation, Azula attacks her brother to usurp his throne. Injured, Zuko is forced to go to the Southern Water Tribe to get healed, meeting there someone he hadn't news for a long time. {Story starts at the Southern Raiders episode}
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1 – The Southern Raiders

_**Author:**_ Becky L. Sly  
_**Title:**_ The Moon's Dragon  
_**Genre:**_ Romance/Adventure/Drama  
_**Rating:**_ T (there will be cusswords, violence and some non-explicit sexual situation that might not be appropriated for all readers)

_**I don't own anything. All character belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, and Nickelodeon.** _

* * *

**THE MOON'S DRAGON  
** _by Becky L. Sly_

* * *

**Chapter 1 – The Southern Raiders**

Zuko straightened up his tent while he and the Team waited for Katara to finish cooking dinner. They were all starving! They had just arrived on the cliff about one hour ago, right after narrowly escaping Azula's attack on the Western Air Temple. They took Appa and flew as fast as they could away from the Fire Nation Princess's madness.

Azula was teetering on the edge of insanity, making her more dangerous than ever. In some ways, Zuko was glad he managed to fight his sister back, providing time for the Team to run away safely, even if it was just for a little time before Azula could reach them again. He also was flattered that Aang flew back to rescue him from a free fall that could have possibly lead him to death.

"Zuko," Toph's voice took the firebender away from his thoughts. "Dinner's ready. Hurry up or else you'll have to heat it up by yourself," she said with a smirk. He nodded and followed the little earthbender.

Not far from the tents, Aang had managed to make a fire and the Team sat around it to appreciate their dinner. Aang was sitting next to Sokka, who had Suki wrapped in his arms. A little closer to the fire, Katara was using her waterbending to stir a pot of delicious-smelling soup. Toph and Zuko found a place to sit beside Aang. Katara started to dish out the soup for the Team. At first, they all ate it in silence, still in shock over the earlier attack on the Western Air Temple.

"Wow, camping. It really seems like old times again, doesn't it?" commented Aang staring at his friends around the fire, trying to lighten the mood a little bit.

Zuko smirked in response. "If you really want to feel like old times," the firebender said slyly as he took a bite. "I could chase you around while trying to catch you". They all genuinely laughed about that. _All except one._ Sitting right in front of the prince, Katara's laugh was noticeably bitter and sarcastic. Sokka sighed before bringing his cup up for a toast.

"To Zuko," the warrior began. "Who knew that after all those times he tried to take us out, today he'd be our hero!"

"Here, here," they all cheered and brought their cup up for the toast, with the exception of Zuko and Katara. Toph poked Zuko affectionately, making him smile.

"I'm touched," Zuko said softly, feeling sincerely flattered with the Team gesture. "I don't deserve this."

"Yeah," Katara said bitterly across the fire. "No kidding." She stood up and stormed off, heading to the cliff's edge.

Zuko was indignant. _What the hell is wrong with her?_ They all, including Aang, who by far was the one with more reasons to despite Zuko, had accepted him as part of the Team. Zuko could feel a wave of anger starting to boil inside him.

"What's with her?" Sokka asked kind of surprised with his sister's behavior. The prince stood up and headed after the waterbender.

"I wish I knew," he answered without looking back and kept walking. He vaguely heard Sokka ask, " _Now what the hell's his problem?"_ He ignored the comment. Katara was out of the sight of the Team, almost at the edge of the cliff, gazing to the open sea right in front of her. Zuko was peeved with the Water Tribe peasant's attitude and he could feel his anger growing inside him each step he get closer to her. He was getting really tired of her lack of gratitude after he had just saved her life earlier that day and her total contempt towards him. He stopped just a few meters away from Katara. She noticed Zuko's presence and, very annoyed, she tried to keep herself away from him even more.

"This is not fair," he said, trying to maintain his calm. Katara didn't turn back to face him. The night was bright, being illuminated by the full moon bright in the sky, allowing Zuko to watch, clearly, the waterbender in front of him. The wind was blowing towards the prince, making the grass on the ground sway within the summer breeze, as well as Katara's hair. Zuko stepped closer to the Water Tribe girl. "Everybody seems to trust me now… what is with you?"

Katara turned to face him, her eyes wild. She had tried to not be too close to him, otherwise, she wouldn't be able to help herself from punching him in his face as she was craving, as she had been since he had joined the Team.

"Everyone trusts you now?" she asked angrily. "I was the first one to trust you, remember? Back in Ba Sing Se and you turned around and betrayed _me_ ," she said through her teeth and then she sighed and looked away. "Betrayed us all."

Zuko lowed his head considering all those accusations he had just heard. He knew she was right and deep inside he regretted all of that. He regretted being that boy who betrayed his uncle's trust, not being able to know if he could ever apologize to him for all the bad things he had done in the past. He raised his eyes and gazed at Katara.

"What can I do to make it up to you?" he sincerely asked, not so sure why her approval seems so important to him at that moment. Katara didn't soften her expression.

Sanguine, she shortened the distance between the two and stayed very close to his face. Zuko could feel her breath on his skin. She spilled out the next words as if she was spitting on Zuko's scarred face.

"Do you really wanna know? Maybe you could reconquer Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King?" she said. Zuko held his breath in for a moment, uneasy with the nearness of them both. "Or maybe you could bring my mother back!"

Katara walked towards the camp, shouldering him aggressively as she passed him. She walked faster as she felt the tears begin to pour, unable to hold them back anymore.

Zuko remained quiet, watching her disappear from his sight as she walked away from him. He turned himself to face the full moon again, with Katara's words echoing in his mind. _Shit. Why was it so damn hard for her to trust him?_ Zuko started to wonder why he had this urgency to earn the trust of a Water Tribe peasant.

He took a deep breath and sat on the ground. Suddenly, he was no longer hungry. The flashbacks from Ba Sing Se appeared in his mind. He was reminded of it all, the catacomb, the crystals, the fact that Katara was yelling at him and, most of all, the moment she offered to heal his scar. She actually _touched_ him, right where his scar was. He had never let anybody touch his face after he was burned. Nobody. Even so, he had let _her_ do it anyway. _Who was she to him back then?_ She was just the girl with the Avatar, who Zuko had tried to catch with such vehemence. However, she touched him and asked him if she could use her North Pole magical water or something to heal him. To let her free him of his scar, his past.

And yet... he betrayed her. He also betrayed his uncle that day. Maybe, Zuko craved Katara's forgiveness because deep inside he thought that, if she could find a way to forgive him for all the harm he caused her, so could his uncle. He took a deep breath, remembering the last sentence Katara said to him.

_Or maybe you could bring my mother back._

That wasn't the first time she talked about her mother either. The first time also happened when they were trapped in the catacombs back in Ba Sing Se. He had no clue about what had happened to Sokka and Katara's mother. Yet, he was starting to figure out that if the waterbender was actually connecting her anger on him to her mother's death, perhaps Zuko could find a way to earn Katara's trust if he knew what really happened with her mother back in the past. However, there were zero chances of her actually telling him what had happened. He stood up and headed towards the only person that could help him with that.

There was no one left in the camp. They had all gone to their own tents in an attempt to rest, trying to forget the tiring day they just had. Zuko walked through the tents, heading towards Sokka's tent. When he was about to open it, he bumped into someone else.

"Oops," Suki said, shamefaced. "Wrong tent."

"Wait. Do you want to speak with Sokka, too?"

"What? No, no," the Kyoshi warrior was blushing and she turned away from him before he could ask anything. "Not me."

Zuko was confused, but he entered the tent anyway. The sight that greeted him was clearly intended for Suki: Sokka, surrounded by candles, lounging half-naked with a rose in his mouth and petals covering the floor. Both Sokka and Zuko stared at each other slack-jawed. However, Zuko decided to pretend that nothing had happened and sat on the floor.

"Zuko?! Wh… Why would I be expecting anyone different...?", murmured Sokka, trying to hide any evidence that could show his plans for that night. Sokka sighed, frustrated with the Fire Nation Prince's visit. "What's on your mind?"

"Your sister," said Zuko trying to be casual, since he was in Sokka's tent asking about the waterbender. "She hates me. And I don't know why, but I do care what she thinks about me."

"Nah. She doesn't hate you," said Sokka without actually thinking about it, only trying to find a way to get rid of the firebender. "Katara doesn't hate anyone, except for some people in the Fire Nation."

Then Sokka realized what he had just said and tried to fix it.

"No! I mean not people that are good but used to be bad. I mean bad people. Fire Nation people who are still bad, who had never been good and probably never will…" Zuko interrupted Sokka.

"Stop," he started, taking a deep breath. "Okay, listen. I know it may seem out of nowhere, but I want you to tell me what happened to your mother."

"Why would you want to know that?" Sokka's voice was low and weak and Zuko struggled a little to hear it. Zuko sighed.

"Katara mentioned it before when we were prisoners in Ba Sing Se and again just now when she was yelling at me. I think somehow… she connected her anger about that to her anger about me."

Sokka remained in silence for a moment, considering the words of his friend. His voice was grave when he finally started telling the story, not looking at the firebender as he did.

"It's not a day I like to remember," he said. He told Zuko everything that he remembered and Zuko listened carefully and without asking any questions, showing his respect for his friend's grief. At the end of the story, Sokka lowed his head and muttered very weakly. "I was so relieved that it was over. But that's because I didn't know what happened. I didn't know I lost our mother."

"Do you remember anything?" Zuko asked. "Any detail about the soldiers who entered your village? Like… what did the lead ship look like?"

"I remember the flags," the Water Tribe warrior said thoughtfully. "Sea ravens," he said quickly in a snap. "The lead ship had sea ravens on their flags".

"The symbol of the Southern Raiders," Zuko muttered. He thanked Sokka for his help. Finally, the firebender stood up and left the tent. Or, more accurately, was thrown out of it by Sokka, who was very interested in finding a Kyoshi warrior nearby. Zuko walked towards Katara's tent. He was willing to talk with her once more, or at least he would try to make her listen to him. He reached her tent and before he opened it he looked around to see if anyone was looking. The camp was very quiet and it seemed that everyone was in their own tents.

However, when Zuko stepped inside the waterbender's tent, he found her sleeping. He thought about waking her up but then realized that it could possibly go very wrong. If she found out that he had entered her tent in the middle of the night, surely she would not trust him ever again. He decided that it'd be better to wait for her to wake up. He stepped outside her tent and sat on the ground right in front of it. He was convinced that he would talk to her in the morning and this time she would listen to him.

The night passed and Zuko remained there, sitting near Katara's tent. At some point, he wondered if he should just go to his own tent and wait to talk with her in the morning, but then he remembered that Katara was always the first in the Team to wake up and he wanted to speak with her alone. Therefore, he stayed there, struggling to hold off his tiredness.

Katara awoke at sunrise and shivered as the cold wind of the morning blew through her tent. She stood up and dressed, but when she opened her tent to go outside, she was caught off guard. Zuko was sitting right in front of her, with his head leaning to the ground in some uncomfortable position. Katara noticed that he was sleeping. She snorted, waking up the prince. A little bit shocked, the firebender looked up and saw her staring at him. He had very deep dark circles under his eyes.

"You look terrible," Katara snapped as she managed to get away from him. She headed towards her belongings, searching for a comb to brush her hair out with. She was trying to look busy, making it very clear that she didn't want any conversation with him. Zuko, reeling a little bit, stood up and moved next to her.

"I waited out here all night," he said. Katara snorted once more.

"What do you want?" she asked harshly, not really wanting to know, brushing her hair with her back turned to him. He stayed quiet for a while but then continued talking.

"I know who killed your mother," he said, noticing that Katara froze. Seeing that she was not saying anything, he continued talking. "I know who did it and _I'm_ gonna help you find him."

Katara turned to face him, not totally sure of what she had just heard. She was staring at him with wide eyes.

"What… what did you say?" she stuttered.

"I know who killed your mother and I'm going to…" but before he could finish his sentence, Katara moved towards him and pushed him hard. He reeled back and gazed at Katara, who was staring at him with fury in her eyes. Zuko could feel his fire growing inside him, as well as his anger.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he cried, totally forgetting that the others were still sleeping.

"What's wrong with _me?_ " she yelled back. "What kind of monster are you? How dare you come to me lying about my mother and telling me that you know who took her away from me when you don't even give a damn about it?!" she cried it almost in one breath, not even trying to stop the tears that streamed down her face. Zuko stepped forward and before Katara could turn her back to him again, he grabbed her right arm.

"But this is exactly what I'm fucking trying to show you!" he said angrily and she could feel that the place where he was holding her arm was starting to warm up. Before he could do anything without thinking, he let her arm free. "I'm not the monster you think I am"

Katara was willing to yell at him again, but she stayed quiet when he freed her arm and turned his back to her. She considered the possibility of her turning away and leaving him alone, but for some reason she stayed there, standing, still facing his back. She noticed him taking a deep breath before talking to her again, this time without looking at her.

"I know I really screwed up things in the past and I betrayed you and you are probably never going to forgive me for this… I don't even know if I deserve your forgiveness," he said before doing a long pause and turned himself to face her one more time. "But I'm not lying to you. I do really know who killed your mother and I'm willing to help you to find him."

She was incredulous and, even if she was not willing to admit it, she was ashamed for offending him the way that she had. She wiped her face with her wrist and faced the firebender.

"How do you know?" she asked coldly.

"The Southern Raiders," he began. "It's the Fire Nation Naval division responsible for dealing with conflicts and business that might occur in the south of the Fire Nation."

"But how do you know _who_ killed my mother?" she asked harshly.

Zuko sighed. "Look, I don't know his name, but I'm sure it was the captain in charge," he said. "We could bust into a Fire Nation Communicating Tower and get the information of the location of the lead ship of the Southern Raiders and then find the man you are looking for."

It was not a bad plan, although he had no idea how he actually was going to reach some Communicating Tower. Maybe he could find some information when he returned to the Fire Nation with Aang to defeat his father. However, what Katara said next caught the firebender totally off guard.

"Let's go, then," she said.

Zuko was taken aback. "Come again?"

"You heard me," she shrugged. "You said you wanted to help me. So this is it. Let's find these Southern Raiders." She was not entirely sure what was happening, but suddenly something had awakened inside her. If what he was saying was true – if there was any possibility for her to face the man that had destroyed her family – she could not help but grab at the chance.

"But how are we gonna reach them? It's not exactly turning left on the next mountain. The nearest tower is based in the middle of the South Sea," he said and watched Katara shrug.

"That is not a problem. Grab my things," she demanded, motioning to her belongings while she walked towards the air bison. Zuko was not pleased about being ordered to grab things for her but he obeyed anyway. He grabbed Katara's bag off the ground and threw it over his shoulders. He stood up and headed towards her, still shocked by her reaction but he was determined to help her no matter what.

Aang was already up and was feeding his air bison. He had been woken up by the voice he thought belonged to Zuko, which was screaming something that Aang couldn't understand. When he stepped outside his tent, he noticed that Katara was talking with Zuko. Although Aang felt slightly jealous, he was glad that they were finally managing to accept each other. Sokka was up too, or rather, he hadn't gone to sleep in the first place. But, judging by the goofy grin on his face, Aang doubted he regretted it... though he did seem really tired. They both were chilling next to the bison. The Water Tribe warrior noticed his sister coming towards them, closely followed by Zuko.

"I need to borrow Appa," Katara said harshly. Aang looked over his shoulders and noticed that Zuko was still with her.

"Why? It is your turn to take a little field trip with Zuko?" the airbender asked rather unpleasantly as he fed his animal.

"Yes, it is," Katara answered and Aang jumped, whirling to face the two benders. _Since when does she want to spend any of her time with Zuko?_ Aang was now wondering what they were talking about earlier that morning. Suddenly, all the relief that he felt became jealousy.

"What happened?" Aang asked incredulously. He listened as his friend told him that she and Zuko were going to look for the man that killed her mother. Both Aang and Sokka were shocked. The warrior approached his sister and tried to change her mind. He was a little bit concerned that somehow he had caused that by telling Zuko the story of their mother.

"I know who he is," Zuko commented feeling obligated to support the waterbender since none of the other guys seemed to do the same. "I know who he is and I know how to find him." Aang took a deep breath, still uneasy with the whole situation.

"But how exactly is this going to help?" Aang asked. Katara shook her head and released a cynical laugh.

"I knew you wouldn't understand," she said and turned her back to them. However, Aang tried to explain that he actually did understand how she was feeling. He tried to tell her that revenge was not the answer. Sokka joined him and tried to dissuade his sister telling her that the whole plan was a fiasco and there was no need for her to do it. Zuko managed to step in, always supporting Katara. Deep inside, Zuko could understand what Aang and Sokka were trying to say, and he actually agreed with them, but right that moment he had a chance of earning Katara's trust again and he was not going to waste it. Therefore, he always found a way to apostrophize whatever they said, even mocking Aang once or twice.

Aang gazed at Zuko, wondering if he was responsible for putting that idea in Katara's mind. Aang tried hard to convince her otherwise, but it was all in vain. She turned her back and left them behind, heading to her own tent.

"You convinced her to do it," Aang said to Zuko. The firebender had nothing to say and, turning his back to the guys, followed her. He had not convinced her to look for the Southern Raider captain, he had just offered his help. However, after what Aang said, he started to wonder if somehow he was pressing her to attempt this crazy plan. He agreed with the Avatar's words, but deep inside, he didn't want to follow them. For once, he wanted Katara to listen to him and _agree_ with him, the exiled prince. She could find out that he is not as horrible as she thinks he is. _A monster, in her words._ She could forgive him if he gave her a reason to. He walked faster towards her tent.

"Katara," he called her softly.

"What do you want?" she asked, coldly, from inside her tent.

"I came here to say that I understand you," he said as he sat on the ground near the opening of her tent, placing her bag on the floor. Suddenly he realized that he had nothing more to say. He was cornered. Was he being selfish and pressing her to do something just so he could get what he wanted? He had no right in doing that.

He sighed. "But maybe Aang is right," he muttered. The tent opened and there was the waterbender facing him.

"No, he is not right. He doesn't know how it feels to lose your own mother right in front of your very eyes," she said that very seriously, looking deep into his amber eyes. The firebender felt his heartache, feeling that she had said that specifically to him because _he knew._ He knew all the pain that he felt when his mother was taken away from him. He simply nodded. "I need to find this man," she continued saying. "And I need _you_ to show me how," she said and for the first time after he had joined the Team, her expression softened. It warmed the firebender's heart.

"We are going tonight," he said as he stood up and headed to his tent to grab his own things. Katara nodded, feeling very thankful to see that he really did understand her and was not going to judge her decision. Not that she would ever admit that to him.

"Meet me on Appa."

* * *

Zuko and Katara were four days away from the camp. They borrowed Appa (with Aang's permission) and took off to find the Fire Nation Communication Tower. Once they found it they managed to get all the information they needed to find the captain of the Southern Raiders. They traveled again to meet the man. Zuko noticed that Katara was totally fixated with her purpose and she also seemed really exhausted. Several times Zuko asked her if she wanted him to guide Appa, so she could sleep a bit, but she refused every time. Actually, Zuko had to grab Appa's bridle away from her hands without asking her permission, so she could understand that she _definitively_ needed to sleep. She tried to counter him but it was in vain, and not too long after that, she actually fell asleep over the bison's saddle.

Unfortunately, to their surprise, when they reached the Southern Raiders lead ship, they both noticed that the man they were looking for was no longer there. They obtained the needed information about his location then they traveled on Appa towards the island where the former captain was enjoying his retirement.

They were just a few hours from their destination, Katara was guiding Appa and Zuko was sitting in the saddle right behind her with a thought that couldn't leave his mind.

"What did you do with that captain?" the firebender asked, remembering the moment when he saw Katara somehow being able to control that man's body like a puppet.

Katara was surprised by the question and feeling ashamed, she answered him very weakly. "I… bent his blood," she said, afraid of turning back to face his expression. She didn't care about his opinion, or at least, she thought she didn't. However, she couldn't face him and see his horrified expression. Not at that moment.

Zuko didn't say anything. He had never heard anything about bloodbending and while it scared the hell out of him, he was also very fascinated by it. He made a mental note to never step back into her bad side, so she would never do that to him.

Katara was getting really annoyed with the silence behind her.

"I didn't mean to do _that_ to him," she said, taking Zuko away from his own thoughts. "But I was so angry. I…I didn't know what to do… I didn't..." her voice faltered when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"You don't need to explain," he said softly, still with his hand on her shoulder. Katara looked back at him, and to his surprise, she smiled weakly at him.

"Thank you, Zuko," she said. Zuko nodded and also gave her a small, shy smile. He dropped his hand off her shoulder and sat back in the saddle.

"You know what? Deep inside we are kind of alike," he said teasingly, trying to keep the mood a little less tense. Katara faced him confused. Zuko grinned. "We have problems dealing with our tempers." Katara laughed sarcastically to that, less aggressive this time.

"You wish," she said teasing him. Zuko let the subject drop, and the two benders rode in companionable silence

* * *

Not long after that, they reached their destination. They jumped off Appa and managed to find the former captain, a man named Yon Rha. They planned to pass unnoticed in the village, so they didn't ask anyone about his location. Instead, they kept themselves hidden, waiting for some clue of him. Fortunately, they didn't have to wait too long. They found him shopping for some vegetables in the village's little grocery tent. They followed him stealthily to his home. About midway, they laid a trap for the former captain. They stayed hidden, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Yon Rha was suspicious that someone was following him and afraid he cast his fire towards some bushes behind him. The former captain froze when he heard a voice behind him.

"We weren't behind the bush," said Zuko, throwing fire towards the man. Yon Rha was scared and tried to run, but he stumbled and fell to the ground. Zuko moved next to him. "And I wouldn't try firebending if I were you," he said menacingly. The man was shivering and put his hands over his face, trying to protect himself.

"Whoever you are, take my money. Take whatever you want. I'll cooperate," he begged. Katara stood in front of him and took off her hood, revealing her identity.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked in a cold voice. The man narrowed his eyes and looked at her.

"No…I'm not sure," he said, trying to remember.

"You better remember it, because _your life depends on it_ ," she said aggressively. Rain began to fall steadily as Yon Rha thought frantically. Then, he remembered: He had seen her on his last "visit" to the South Pole. She was the daughter of the waterbender woman that he executed that day.

"Yes," he muttered. "I remember you now. You are the little Water Tribe girl. The waterbender's daughter." He swallowed hard after realizing what that meant. She was there to avenge her mother.

"She lied to you," she said weakly, looking away from him. "She was protecting the last waterbender."

"What?" the former captain faced Katara incredulously. "Who?"

"Me!" she screamed, feeling her fury take control of her body. She turned again to face Yon Rha and raised her arms, stopping the pouring rain in mid-air

Zuko was really impressed. He had no idea how powerful a waterbender Katara actually was. Even though he had already fought against her, that view had shocked him. He watched her turn the raindrops to icicle spears and hurl them towards her enemy. Yon Rha curled in on himself, pathetically awaiting his execution. However, Katara dropped her arms at the last second, interrupting her bending before the spikes could hit him. The water splashed harmlessly upon the cowering man. Zuko whipped his head around in surprise and confusion. _Yon Rha was right there! She was so very close to accomplishing what she intended to do and yet she gave up?_

"As much as I hate you," she started saying, feeling her voice falter at the end of the sentence. "I just can't do it."

Zuko put himself in a combat position, ready to attack at her command. However, she didn't. He just stayed there, staring at her, ready to accept anything that she decided. Then, making her choice, she turned and walked away from Yon Rha, leaving the man behind, crying pathetically in the mud. The firebender didn't expect that but said nothing to counter. He turned his back and followed her.

Katara walked aimlessly and Zuko followed her. They walked for a while in silence, getting a safe distance from where Yon Rha was. Several times Zuko wished to say something, _anything_ , but nothing came to his mind. Suddenly, she just stopped and fell to her knees. Zuko ran towards her and knelt in front of her. She had covered her face again with the hood and her eyes were filled with tears. He didn't know what to say.

"I'm… so weak," she said sobering, her voice smothered by the hood. Zuko's heart tightened in his chest. After all, he had seen after she accepted traveling with him to find Yon Rha, the last thing he could think about her was that she was _weak._

Hesitating, worried she'd push him away, he pulled off her hood, revealing her face. Katara was sobbing while her tears mingled up with the raindrops that were falling upon them.

"I don't… think you're, you know… weak," he said softly, not so sure about what to do. He brushed away her tears with his thumb. She froze when she felt him touching her face. She looked up to face him and Zuko saw her doleful eyes.

"Could you?" she asked with a cracking voice. "Could you kill the man that took your mother away from you?" she asked, still sobbing. Zuko didn't know the answer to that. He felt that he was not able to kill his own father, no matter what he had done to him.

"No," he said. Katara faced him again, making him take a deep breath. "But that doesn't mean that you are weak. You are stronger than you think. And much as it pains me to say this, I was lucky to have fought against you when you were only just learning how to bend," he smiled and was very glad to see that she smiled slightly too. He thought to see her blushing, but he was not sure.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "Thanks for coming here with me."

Zuko nodded and then realized that he was still holding her face with his hand. He dropped his hand and stood up quickly, helping Katara to stand up too. He passed his hand through his hair, feeling uneasy.

"Well," he cleared his throat before continuing. "We better head back to the camp. They must be already wondering if I captured you and turned you into the Fire Nation," he said and Katara laughed at that.

"Sure, as if you could," she said with a teasing and joyful voice. Zuko pretended to be offended and smirked. They walked back to Appa.

* * *

They flew back to the camp, almost without saying anything to each other. When they reached the camp, Katara didn't want to talk with no one and headed straight to her tent. They all came to Zuko to ask him what had happened and he explained everything. Aang tried to talk with Katara, but she asked him to go away and leave her alone for a moment.

On the next day, Sokka decided that they better find another place to set camp and Zuko suggested they go to Ember Island. After convincing them all that it was a safe place, they all packed their things. Before lunchtime, they were all ready to take off on Appa and fly towards the Ember Island. Sokka tried to talk with his sister but was ultimately unsuccessful. Katara kept herself curled up in the corner of the saddle and didn't talk with anyone.

It didn't get any better when they arrived at the Fire Lord's old summer house on the island. Katara remained in silence for the rest of the afternoon and not wanting to answer any more are-you-fine questions, she headed to the beach, telling everyone she wished to be alone.

"Zuko," Aang called from the balcony of the summer house, where he was staring out after Katara. "I need you to came with me to talk with Katara," Zuko seemed confused.

"Why me?"

"Because it was you who stayed by her side," Aang muttered, lowering his head. Zuko sighed and stood up from where he was sitting. He followed Aang and with Sokka, they headed with Appa to the place where Katara was. She was sitting on a wooden deck, swaying her feet over the water and watching the sunset. Aang jumped off Appa and ran towards his friend.

"Katara," he yelled. "Are you okay?"

"I'm doing fine," she said coldly, tired of answering that same question. Zuko approached to Aang, making the airbender look over his shoulders.

"Zuko told me what you did," Aang said, looking now at Katara. "Or…what you didn't…I guess. I'm proud of you," he said, smiling. Katara didn't turn to face him, but Zuko could tell she wasn't smiling.

"But I wanted to do it. I wanted to throw all my anger on him, but…I couldn't," she said, still facing the sunset. She bowed her head and muttered, "I don't know if it because I'm too weak to do it or it's because I'm strong enough not to."

"You did the right thing," Aang commented. "Forgiveness is the first step you have to take to begin healing." After listening to his last words, Katara stood up angrily.

"But I didn't forgive him," she said, correcting Aang. "I'll never forgive him," she said. Katara looked over Aang and realized that Zuko was also there, quiet, staring at her. She studied him for a while, thinking of all the things she had said to him. She also thought about him and how he stayed by her side the whole time. He had no reason to help her and yet he did, showing her that she could trust him again. She sighed and smiled at Zuko.

"But I am ready to forgive _you,_ " she said to Zuko, getting closer to him. He smiled back, relieved that she finally accepts him as part of the Team. However, before he could even prepare himself, Katara threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest. Zuko hugged her back, feeling himself get warmer as he blushed. After a few seconds, she let him go, smiling at him one last time before heading towards her brother, who was standing next to Appa.

Zuko didn't know how or why, but he felt that from that moment, everything was going to change.


	2. Chapter 2 – Ember Island's Nights

_**Author:**_ Becky L. Sly  
 _ **Title:**_ The Moon's Dragon  
 _ **Genre:**_ Romance/Adventure/Drama  
 _ **Rating:**_ T (there will be cusswords, violence and some non-explicit sexual situation that might not be appropriated for all readers)

_**I don't own anything. All character belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, and Nickelodeon.** _

* * *

**Chapter 2 – Ember Island's Nights**

It was kind of scary for them to be hosted in the summer house of the man that probably wanted them all dead, however, Katara had to admit that it was such a beautiful house. The house was huge and it had a very large internal courtyard, which Aang and Zuko had chosen to practice firebending in.

The Team had arrived at Ember Island a couple of days earlier after Zuko explained to them that the Fire Lord would never consider the possibility of looking for them there, they all took a time to relax and appreciate their stay in Ember Island.

However, from all the fancy things in the house that impressed Katara, the one that she wished to use the most was the bath. If there was anything that the waterbender wished to do so hard, it was to take a bath and clean herself up. _A real bath._ For her fortunate, the only bath in the whole house was in the room where she and the other girls had claimed as their own on the first night.

"But why only you get the bath?" Sokka asked Suki indignant, after discovering that the girls prohibited the guys from using the bath in their room. Suki grinned to Sokka.

"It's a girl thing," Suki said as she started to close the door from the girl's room. "Furthermore, you can still take a bath somewhere else."

"Where? In the sea?" Sokka asked, with Zuko and Aang behind him, hoping for any chance to have a bath.

"Are you not the lord of the ideas?" The three guys could hear Toph's voice from behind the door. "I'm sure you'll figure something out." And the last thing they heard were laughs from the girls.

However, even the bath being in the girl's room, none actually had the courage to use it. It was kind of odd to use the bath of the Fire Nation royal family, and none of them were brave enough to ask for Zuko's permission.

Katara's desire for a bath was growing larger every hour that passed by. It was not like they didn't clean themselves while they were camping, but it wasn't the same thing. Katara hadn't even seen a soap since they left Ba Sing Se, and after Sokka had convinced them to watch a play that night, the waterbender finally managed to ask Zuko if it was fine for her to use the bath.

Zuko thought it was a funny question but said that it was fine; he even asked her if she wanted him to warm the water up, which she denied. However, when Suki and Toph found out that the bath was allowed, they ran towards it as fast as they could, so it ended up Katara was the last one to bath. The waterbender was surprised to see that even Toph wanted to take a bath.

"Not even I can stand so long without bathing," answered Toph, jumping into the bath after Katara asked her why she wanted to bath. The water spread all over the floor and Katara used her waterbending to throw it back to the bath. She snorted while walked out of the bathroom and she laid down on her sleeping bag, waiting for her time to take a bath. The window of her room was open and she could hear Aang practicing firebending outside in the courtyard with Zuko.

She denied Zuko's offer to warm up the bath because it was very hot outside, and also because she thought that would be an awkward situation. Not that he had never seen her bathing before, with her underclothes on, of course. The point was that, after their field trip to find the Southern Raiders, Katara was feeling strange near him, although she was starting to really enjoy his company.

"Hey, Sugar Queen," Toph said, pulling Katara away from her thoughts. The earthbender was near Katara, she was with a red towel wrapped around her body while her hair was soaked, making a pool on the floor. "All yours," she said, pointing to the bathroom behind her.

Katara ran towards the bathroom, excited to finally be taking a bath. She used her waterbending to separate dirt from the water and she filled the bath with clean water again. She took her clothes off and stepped into the bath, noticing that the water wasn't hot, but that didn't trouble her. She sat in the bath's floor and grabbed a soap that was on the edge of it, as she started to lather her body up.

The soap had a nice and soft fragrance, making Katara feel calm and relaxed. Even after washing her body, she could sense the smell all over her arms and her skin. She sank into the water, releasing air bubbled through her mouth. She couldn't hear anything outside of the water and for a moment, she felt herself in peace, surrounded by the silence that only water could give. Not having more air, she emerged from the water, feeling a cold air pass across her body. She looked to the window in front of her, realizing that the sun was ready to set in the sky.

She stepped out of the bath and grabbed a red towel. She wrapped it around her body and she used her waterbending to dry her hair. She turned toward the bathroom's door and headed to her room. However, when she opened the door, she froze when she saw a shirtless bender standing in her room.

Zuko was surprised to see that someone was using the bathroom. He was walking through the hall and noticed that the girl's door was opened. He peered and saw that no one was in there, so he decided that he could take a real bath and after taking off his shirt and throwing it on the floor, he realized how wrong he was. He was caught off guard by the waterbender that was wearing nothing more than a towel. Zuko could feel his face burning.

"At least you are wearing pants," Katara said and she wished she didn't, feeling stupid for the comment. Zuko was still staring at her, embarrassed. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"I didn't know you were taking a bath," he started explained while he was searching for his shirt on the floor. "I thought I could bath here. Sokka's ideas aren't that good today," he said, starting to dress his shirt up.

"Sokka's ideas?" Katara asked and Zuko sighed before answering.

"Yeah, he asked Aang to earthbend the rocks at the beach and create some waterfall, so he could use his waterbending to make the waterfall from it and we could wash."

Katara frowned.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea."

"It wasn't," he grinned before continued. "Until Appa appeared and decides that he also wanted to bath." He and Katara laughed about that.

"Well, you can bath here," Katara said, pointing to the bath behind her. Zuko nodded, feeling relief that he didn't have to share his bath with some big furry animal anymore.

"I'll be outside, so you can dress," he said, heading outside the room and closing the door behind him. Katara sighed, still ashamed for what had just happened. She dressed herself up quickly and grabbed her comb so she could brush her hair outside. She opened the door and saw Zuko leaning on the wall, waiting for her.

"All yours," she said and smiled at him, heading towards the courtyard. She could hear him thanking her and saying that he wouldn't delay in the bath. The firebender stepped inside the bathroom, sensing a nice and soft fragrance in the air.

* * *

When the sun set in the sky, they were all ready to go to the theatre. They left the summer house, leaving Momo and Appa behind, and headed towards the downtown of Ember Island. Zuko was walking ahead of the Team, guiding them to the place. He also couldn't help himself but think about the previous events of that evening.

"Are we close?" asked Katara softly, taking Zuko away from his thoughts.

"Close? Oh…Yeah, almost," he muttered, feeling like he was caught red-handed for thinking about her.

They reached the theatre, bought the tickets and headed to the upper floor to find their seats. Zuko was planning to sit next to Katara just because he wanted to apologize for entering her room without asking, or maybe just because he was starting to enjoy being around her. He noticed that Aang was a step closer to sit next to the waterbender, so Zuko managed to step in front of him and sat next to Katara before Aang could do anything.

"Hey… I-I wanted to sit there," stuttered Aang, staring surprised at Zuko. The firebender smiled and took off his hood.

"Just sit next to me. What's the big deal?" Zuko answered, confident that he wouldn't get out of his seat so easily. Aang tried to argue, but Zuko didn't pay any attention. Finally, the airbender gave up and sighed before sitting down next to the prince.

After a while, the play started and suddenly Zuko deeply regretted going there to watch it. And he wasn't alone. They all were feeling frustrated and embarrassed about what they were watching. Katara didn't stop talking during the entire first act, not feeling pleasant for what she was seeing at all.

"I know it must hurt, but what you are seeing on the stage is true," said Toph with a smirk. She was the only one truly enjoying watching the play. Zuko wished she didn't say that. During the whole play, his character only showed how miserable he had been in the past, about everything. How his search for the last airbender really had been sick. How he had betrayed the only person that cared about him. Zuko was feeling uncomfortable, so he pulled his hood over his head to hide his face.

"Look! It's when you were captured in Ba Sing Se," exclaimed Sokka, poking his sister on her shoulder. On the stage were Katara and Zuko's actors. If Katara thought that the play couldn't get any more embarrassing, she couldn't be more wrong. Right in front of her eyes was a Katara confessing that she had feelings for the firebender.

"They look cute together." Katara heard Suki's comment behind her, followed by a snort from Sokka. Katara froze in her seat. _Why are they showing this? It's not like I have feelings for him._ It was an awkward situation and she tried to move away from the firebender a little. Although she didn't want to face him, she was curious to see his expression, wondering what he was thinking about it. With the corner of her eyes, she glanced at him, in time to see Aang standing up and Sokka asking him something. Zuko, however, was expressionless, looking straight to the stage. Fortunately, the pause between acts didn't take too long to happen, making them all stand up and get out of the baignoire where they were.

Aang hadn't returned yet and Zuko noticed Katara walking away from the Team to find him. Sokka and Suki had managed to find the cast of the play, leaving Toph and Zuko alone at the door of their baignoire.

"Everyone is getting so upset about their characters," said Toph, sitting on the floor next to Zuko. "Even you seem more down than usual," she said, poking his arm.

"You don't get it," he started saying. "You have a muscular version of yourself taking down ten guys at once." Zuko looked up to the earthbender and saw that she was smiling.

"Yeah, that's great. I'll test out that technique later," she smirked while Zuko just sighed.

"But for me, they take all the mistakes I made in my life and shove them back in my face," he said, before looking away from her. "My uncle, he has always been on my side. He taught me so much and how did I repay him? With a knife on his back. It's my greatest regret."

"You have redeemed yourself with your uncle," said the little earthbender with a soft voice. "You don't realize it, but you already have."

"How do you know?"

"Because once I had a long conversation with the guy and all he talked about was you," she shrugged, making Zuko surprised. "It was kind of annoying, but it was also very sweet. All your uncle wanted was you to find your own path and see the light. Now you're here with us. He'd be proud," she said before punching him hard on his arm.

"Ouch! What was that for?" he yelled, rubbing the injured area. Toph smiled.

"That's how I show affection," she said joyfully, then she remembered something important.

"By the way, it wasn't all that bad for you in the play," Toph said and Zuko frowned before she continued. "You end up with Katara. From all of us, you're the only one that got a girlfriend," she said and then she sighed and muttered weakly. "Besides Sokka."

"Come again?" Zuko asked gawkily.

"You and Katara in the play," Toph shrugged, hoping that he didn't hear her last sentence. "She got strange after that scene, actually. She didn't speak anymore after that."

Zuko could feel a warm growing up inside his throat. Deep inside he had hoped that nobody had watched that scene, although he knew it was impossible. He didn't know why but the idea of having Katara as _his_ girlfriend was… strange.

"Wow, your heart is beating really fast," Toph said and Zuko froze in his place. He tried to clear his throat. "You're now obligating me to mock you both," Toph laughed but before Zuko could argue with her, Katara appeared and she seemed very annoyed.

"Katara, we were just talking about you," Toph said but Zuko interrupted her before she could say anything embarrassing.

"Did you find Aang?" he asked and the waterbender just shrugged. She entered the baignoire without saying a word. Zuko felt a little angry with that.

"Maybe she and _her_ boyfriend had a fight," Toph said, she stood up and followed Katara in the baignoire. Zuko also followed the earthbender and he noticed that Katara was sitting in the same place as before, looking straight to the stage. _What did Toph mean with her_ _**boyfriend**_ _? Katara was with Aang in the end?_ Zuko sat back and tried to understand what he was feeling. After a while, Sokka and Suki appeared and sat behind the firebender. When that play had already continued, Aang showed up and sat next to Sokka. They hoped for the things to get better on the play. However, they didn't.

In fact, things went even worse than they were. The Grand Finale was Aang being killed by the Firelord. The whole audience stood up and applauded fervently to the end of the play. That made pretty clear to the Team how strong the Fire Nation's propaganda was. They awaited the theater to get empty before they could leave. They walked in silence towards the summer house, still uncomfortable and shocked by what they had seen.

Aang was walking ahead of the Team, avoiding any contact with his friends.

Aang was angry; not just about the play but also about the conversation he had with Katara back in the theater. The worst part was that he tried to kiss her again. Even worse, Katara didn't seem interested in returning the kiss - _again!_ She said she was "confused" and "that it wasn't the best moment".

She was confused about what? Aang could not help but remember the play and Katara's character telling him that she felt nothing more than a fraternal love for him. When they reached the summer house, Aang didn't speak with anyone. He decided that he would sleep on Appa's saddle that night and headed towards his bison. He climbed the saddle and lay down, staring at the sky, looking for some answer to his problem before he could fall asleep.

* * *

Fortunately, for the waterbender, no one seemed to remember last night, or at least no one talked about it. Aang hadn't spoken to Katara since the theater and he passed the majority of his time with Zuko improving his firebending.

It was not like she wanted to hurt Aang's feelings, but the truth was that she didn't know what she wanted. She really liked the airbender, but she wasn't sure if that could grow into something more. Deep inside she believed that one day she could be able to love him the same way as he did. After all, he was _her destiny_ , as the fortune teller had told her once. Or almost told her, because she didn't give a _name_ to Katara, but the waterbender truly believed that it was him and now she was just waiting for the moment where she would discover how deeply in love she was with the young monk.

However, that moment never came, even after he kissed her, a few times actually. In fact, things only got more complicated recently.

That day wasn't a quiet day either. After discovering the real plan the Fire Lord had for the Sozin's comet, they were all shocked, especially because the Team had planned to attack Fire Lord Ozai after the arrival of the comet. However, Zuko convinced them otherwise, telling that if they waited too long to save the world there wouldn't be a world to save. Sokka told Aang that by the end of the day he would figure out some plan to defeat the Fire Lord and that the Avatar wouldn't have to do it all by himself. Aang agreed with that and thanked everyone for the support. Zuko suggested that Aang follow him back to the courtyard so they could continue practicing the bending. Aang agreed and followed Zuko along with Toph and Katara.

Katara sat in the courtyard next to Toph and watched the two benders practicing. Katara was still feeling bad for the other night. She sighed watching Aang casting fire with his wrist. She looked up a little more to the right and found Zuko. She realized she hadn't spoken with him since the play as well. She didn't want to talk about the scene with him, although she actually hadn't forgotten about it at all. The firebender was starting to sweat so he decided to take off his shirt, being followed by Aang, who was feeling hot as well. Katara felt her cheeks burning and looking at Zuko without his shirt, she concluded that he was indeed a handsome guy. _But nothing more._

"Wow, your heart is beating really fast," Toph exclaimed, making Katara jump. "It almost seems like you are daydreaming about someone." Katara felt her face burning even more.

"What? Of course not!" Katara said blinking, desperation in her voice. Toph laughed.

"Is it Haru?" the earthbender asked, getting closer to Katara, who denied it. Toph shrugged. "That's ok. I'll find out eventually," she said before lying down on the ground with her hands behind her head. Katara sighed, relieved that Toph wasn't asking her anything more that would make her question her own feelings. Katara looked back to Zuko, who diverted his eyes from her, showing that he was also staring at her. The waterbender smiled at that and she stood up, telling herself that it was better she find something useful to do before she started to think too much about that subject. Zuko noticed her walking away.

However, Katara and everyone else found something useful to do quickly. Sokka found them and told them his new plan to defeat the Fire Lord. They all agreed to practice the plan and they headed to the further part of the island to fight. Toph managed to be the Fire Lord, throwing rocks engulfed in on fire at them. They all did what Sokka told them to, with the exception of Aang. He couldn't kill the 'Fire Lord', saying that it didn't seem right. The training didn't get any further than that and before the sunset, they all headed back towards the summer house. They were all exhausted and worried.

After the sunset, Katara decided that it would be a good thing to make dinner. She searched the house, looking for some pot that she could use to cook. She inspected an old cupboard and found a pot with some papers inside. When she grabbed the pot, the papers fell to the floor. She bent down to catch everything before anyone could notice the mess she had made. However, she unfolded one of the papers and was amazed at what she saw. She wouldn't miss the opportunity of showing that to the Team.

She walked back to the courtyard and started to separate the ingredients for the meal. After some time, the dinner was ready and she called everyone to eat it. When they finished their meal, she grabbed the paper and headed towards her friends.

"I have a surprise for everyone."

"I knew it! You did have a secret thing with Haru!" Toph said loudly, making everyone stare Katara, waiting for an answer. The waterbender blushed and clear her throat before she continued.

"Ah… No. I was looking for cooking pots in the attic and I found this," she said as she showed them the paper in her hands. It was actually a painting. "Look baby Zuko. Isn't that cute?" she said, making a funny face and they laughed at that. Zuko didn't smile and took a deep breath.

"That is not me," he said coldly. They all stared at him, quizzical. "That's my father"

They stayed in silence for a while before Suki spoke.

"But he looks so sweet and innocent," she said, trying to smile.

"But that sweet kid grew up to become a monster and the worst father in the history of fathers."

"But he's still a human being", Aang said absently. He sat alone to eat his dinner, far from his friends.

"You're going to defend him?" Zuko asked angrily and Aang turned his back to face him.

"No," Aang muttered annoyed. "I agree with you. He is a horrible person and the world would be better without him. But there must be another way than killing him."

"Aang, we are trying to understand you, but…" Katara started saying, but Aang interrupted her rudely.

"But **what** , Katara?" he asked her, peeved.

"There's no other way!" she snapped, also annoyed with his behavior towards her.

"So I'll find a way to defeat Fire Lord Ozai without taking his life away alone!" he cried and headed towards the summer house. Katara started to follow him, but she felt a hand on her shoulder that made her stop. She looked back and saw Zuko.

"Let him go," Zuko said softly without taking his hand off her. She nodded and watched Aang as he disappeared from her sight. She looked back to Zuko and gave him a smile, however, he didn't smile back. He took his hand off her and turned his back to her, sitting next to Sokka. Katara felt odd with that, but she didn't say anything and headed back to her place next to Toph.

Aang didn't come back to meet them after he walked away. Sometime later, they decided that it was better for them to rest a little, due to the fact that the next day they would pack their things and travel with Appa somewhere closer to the Fire Nation. They all went to their room. Katara was walking distractedly through the hall when she ran into the firebender.

"I'm sorry," she said while grabbing his arms. He tried to straighten her up so she could recover her balance. He gave her a little smile and then he turned his back to her again, without a word. That annoyed her a little and before she could think, she spoke.

"I was thinking about the play. About our scene," she muttered, causing Zuko to suddenly stop where he was. He turned to face her, surprised. Katara realized that she hadn't anything to say about that. "I mean… Strange, isn't it?" she said joyfully, trying to smile. She had never wished to run away and hide as hard as she was wishing at that moment. _Shit_. _What's wrong with me?_

Zuko faced her quizzicalyl. He also felt a bit offended.

"Well, I know I'm not the most handsome guy alive," he said, slightly pointing to his scar. Katara faced him with wide eyes.

"No!" she cried. "I didn't mean that. I do think you're attractive and all, but I never said that to you back in Ba Sing Se as they said… I don't even know what I'm saying right now," she said, rushing and stumbling, starting to feel her throat burning. Zuko was wide-eyed.

"What?" he asked and Katara facepalmed, taking a deep breath before she continued.

"It's just a play," she shrugged softly. "What I'm trying to say is that you don't need to act weird with me." Zuko frowned.

"But I'm not," he also shrugged.

"Sure…" she muttered gawkily, feeling even more ashamed. He looked at her and gave her a smile, not completely getting what she was trying to say. "Good night," she said before heading towards the room she shared with Toph and Suki. Zuko watched her as she walked away and before she closed her door, he asked her.

"So you think I'm handsome?" he said, teasing her with a grin on his face. Katara didn't answer, but he noticed that she froze where she was before closing the door. He turned himself and walked towards his room, trying to figure out what just happened.

In the girl's room, Katara threw herself into her sleeping bag, still cursing herself.

"Still thinking about Haru?" Toph asked, sensing the fast heartbeat of her friend. Katara just growled, agreeing with the earthbender. All she wanted was to fall asleep and forget what she just did.

* * *

The following day didn't start well at all. They all woke up very early and managed to pack their things as fast as they could. However, when they packed everything inside Appa's saddle, they noticed that someone was missing.

"Where's Aang?" Toph asked and they all looked at each other without an answer. They looked for him all over the beach and through the downtown, but there was no trace of him. They couldn't find him anywhere and after a while, they returned to the summer house. The airbender was missing.

Desperation started to grow inside each one of them. Toph also noticed that Momo was missing as well, causing Sokka to act overdramatically, saying that Appa had eaten the flying lemur.

"Get out of the bison's mouth, Sokka!" Zuko cried angrily, making Sokka stop looking for Momo inside Appa's mouth. "We have a real problem here. Aang is nowhere to be found and the comet is only two days away," he said through his teeth. Zuko sighed, trying to figure out where Aang possibly would be. Suddenly he noticed that everyone was facing him. Katara was the first one to speak.

"What should we do, Zuko?" the waterbender asked weakly, making Zuko frown. He stood up, uneasy with all those eyes looking at him.

"I don't know," he said, but none of them seemed to divert their eyes from him. "Why are you looking at me?"

"Well, you are kind of an expert in tracking Aang," Katara shrugged and she smiled slightly. Toph agreed with her friend.

"Yeah. If anyone has experience in hunting the Avatar, it's you," commented the little earthbender, making Zuko nod. Maybe his skills for chasing the Avatar have been good at the end.

"Fine," he started saying, heading towards Appa. "But we're not going to find him here," he said, climbing Appa and holding its ribbons. They all followed him and sat in the saddle of the animal. Appa took off and Zuko guided it towards the Earth Kingdom.

"Why are we going to the Earth Kingdom?" Sokka asked after noticing the direction they were following. "It's obvious Aang isn't there!"

"Trust me," Zuko said before pressing the ribbon so Appa would fly faster.

* * *

"And the reason why you brought us here was…?" Katara asked Zuko, crossing her arm and looking around the place. Zuko had brought them to an old and shabby tavern in the middle of the Earth Kingdom. That place smelled of alcohol and sweat. A fight seemed to be happening in the middle of the room and some people started to take place around it. They were all drunk and Katara couldn't understand why that would help them find Aang.

"It's June," Zuko replied, pointing towards the fight. There was a woman in her thirties with black hair fighting against some drunken man. Katara recognized her, as did Sokka.

"I remember her. She helped you attack us," Sokka said annoyed. "Why did you bring us here again?"

"Her animal is a Shirshu," Zuko said, heading towards the bounty hunter. "It's the only animal that could track anyone in the world. It's our best chance to find Aang."

They all followed Zuko towards June. Toph was impressed with the fight she could sense through the floor vibrations. In fact, she was starting to really enjoy that June, whoever she was. June had just knocked over her opponent in the fight. She sat back at her table and brought her cup up to her mouth, drinking it all at once. She licked her lips softly after swallowed the liquor. She noticed the group of young folks approaching her. She recognized the prince among them.

"Oh great. It's Prince grumpy," she greeted Zuko with a cynical laugh. "Where's your creepy grandpa?" she asked coldly, not really wanting to know where the old firebender was.

"He is my uncle," Zuko corrected her angrily. "He's not here." June looked at him and then she noticed the girl standing next to him, the same girl he had asked her to track down using her Water Tribe betrothal necklace.

"I see you worked things out with your girlfriend."

Both Katara and Zuko were caught off guard with that comment. Karata could feel that she was blushing.

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"She's not my girlfriend!"

June watched them speak that simultaneously. They looked at each other briefly, feeling ashamed and annoyed at the same time. Zuko could hear Toph laughing behind him. June was also smiling.

"Ok, Ok. I was just teasing," she muttered coldly, although she thought it was funny to see their childish reaction. "So what do you want?" she asked Zuko without looking at him.

"I need your help to find the Avatar,"

June considered that for a while. She already had wasted her time with that story once; she was not interested in doing it again anytime soon.

"Doesn't sound fun," she simply said. Zuko faced her extremely angry and he needed to control himself before he could yell at her or exploded something on her.

"Does the end of the world seem funnier?" he asked June rudely and he punched the table with his wrist closed. That didn't frighten the hunter, but she looked at Zuko intrigued. Zuko felt a hand on his shoulders and when he looked back, he saw Katara. Her face was asking him to calm down. He took a deep breath and regained his composure. "I'm asking for your help just one more time."

June looked at him and then to the young group behind him. She had no idea what they had in mind, but she didn't care about that anyway. She stood up and headed to the tavern's door, leaving them behind her, expressionless. She turned to them.

"Be quick. I have a lot of work to do."

They all nodded and followed her. She guided them to where her Shirshu was and before any of them could blink, she threw a giant piece of meat to her animal. She petted her Shirshu while it was eating the raw meat.

"Fine," she glanced back at them, still petting Nyla."Give me something with his scent."

Quickly they turned around to Appa and searched through Aang's belongings. Katara grabbed Aang's glider staff and gave it to June. The hunter brought the staff close to Nyla's snout, letting the beast smell it. For some while, the Shirshu sniffed the air, looking for the Avatar. It moved in circles around June and the Team, still sniffing. However, the animal gave up its task, not being able to track any smell. They all looked back to June.

"Well, what does that mean?" Zuko asked impatiently. June stepped closer to her animal and petted its head.

"It means that your friend is gone," she said and everyone looked, wide-eyed, at her. _What was that supposed to mean? Was Aang dead?_

"What do you mean? Is he... _dead_?" Sokka asked, afraid of the answer. However, June corrected him, guaranteeing him that if Aang were dead, Nyla could track the body down. That didn't calm the Team, but she didn't care about that. She was about to mount her Shirshu when Zuko yelled.

"Hold on," Zuko cried suddenly. Maybe they could find someone else. Someone that could help them defeat his father. Someone he should have sought out a long time ago. He searched in his belongings for his uncle's sandal. He didn't plan on this, in fact, he actually had thought about throwing it away when he discovered it among his things, especially after sensing the smell of it. But he didn't because that was the last thing he had from his uncle. It was like a memory of the man his uncle was and he couldn't throw it away. _Disgusting, but also true._

He brought the sandal near the Shirshu's snout, listening as Sokka growled behind him that he had sensed that horrible smell the whole time and now he knew where it came from. The animal smelled the sandal and then it sniffed the air. Different from the other time, the Shirshu seemed to track something and before anyone could say something, it ran away being guided by Iroh's smell. The Team ran back to Appa and followed the bounty hunter.

Zuko was guiding the bison. The sun was starting to set in the sky and the Shirshu didn't slow down its run. The time passed by grievously and Zuko noticed that they were heading towards the center of the Earth Kingdom. He looked back and saw the Team sat in the saddle. They all seemed absent and nervous for not knowing where their friend was. Zuko turned back to stare towards the horizon in front of him, noticing the few stars that started to show up in the sky. He realized how nervous he was. After so much time, he was now going to see his uncle again. He didn't know if his uncle could forgive him for what he did and that tightened his heart.

It was already night when they reached the fallen walls of Ba Sing Se. June had ceased the run and her Shirshu seemed really anxious. Zuko guided Appa to the ground and jumped out of the saddle, heading towards the bounty hunter.

"Are we going to Ba Sing Se?" the firebender asked surprised.

"Your uncle is somewhere behind the wall. Nyla is getting hectic so he must not be far," June said while petting the head of her animal. She looked to Zuko and wished him good luck before she ran away with her Shirshu without looking back, surprising everyone. Zuko watched her get further away from his sight, asking himself why she did that, without asking for her payment. He turned to face the ruins, wondering if it was the only wall between his uncle and him. Deep inside, he could feel the presence of his uncle in the air.

Katara was staring at the firebender, imagining the dilemma he was dealing with. She wanted to say something to help him, _anything._ But Toph was faster than her.

"Aren't we supposed to go on?" The earthbender asked, noticing Zuko's indecisions. They all waited for his commands but he simply sighed. He never felt so…scared. He was scared of meeting his uncle; he was scared that he would possibly reject him, asking him to go away. Zuko wasn't able to step any further into the ruins.

"It was a long day," he murmured, kicking some rocks beneath his feet. "Let's camp here and we can start our search by the dawn," he said, not wanting to face any of them. No one said anything and they all seemed to understand what was going with him. They decided that they wouldn't set camp and they could sleep in Appa's saddle, saving time in the morning without packing everything back.

Sokka set a campfire to warm them up. Suki helped Katara to prepare the dinner, which they all ate in silence. However, Zuko didn't want to eat. He was sitting on a rock, staring at the ruins mindfully. He denied the bowl of soup Toph had offered him, telling her that he wasn't hungry. After a while, Sokka said that it was better if they tried to sleep. He climbed Appa and helped Suki and Katara up too. Toph stayed on the ground, as she preferred it. A few minutes later, they all seemed to be sleeping, all but Katara. She couldn't sleep. Her thoughts flew from Aang and where he was, to the firebender near her. She was worried about Zuko, he hadn't moved at all after they reached this place. She stood up and jumped off Appa, heading towards the rocks where Zuko was sitting, staring at the horizon. He realized someone was approaching, but he didn't turn himself to see who it was.

"I'm not tired," he said, coldly.

"No, I just came here to see if you are cold," Katara said softly and Zuko turned to face her. He saw the Water Tribe girl staring at him, with a worried expression that he didn't think he would ever see on her face. At least not for him.

"Sorry," he said, brushing his hair with his fingers. "I didn't know it was you." He smiled slightly at her and she smiled back, finding a place to sit next to him. He took a deep breath.

"I never truly apologized, didn't I?" he muttered weakly without facing her. Katara looked at him confused, not truly understanding his point. He looked up to face her, staring deeply into her eyes. "Back in Ba Sing Se. When I betrayed you."

Katara sighed. "Zuko, you don't need to…"

"I owe you some apologies," he muttered softly. "I'm sorry for what I did. Back there you… scared me." He struggled a little to find the rights words.

"I scared you?" she asked, confused. Zuko stood up and began to walk from one place to another, struggling to find the rights words.

"Yes, you did," he said rudely, but not looking at her. "No one has ever touched me on my scar before, with the exception of some healers and I. Not even my uncle. He never touched it." He finally faced her again, making Katara hold her breath in.

"I didn't mean to offend you." she murmured shyly, but Zuko corrected her quickly.

"But you didn't offend me!" He grabbed her shoulder and stared at her. Katara felt that she was blushing and she could also feel a knot forming in her throat as she stared into his amber eyes. He was staring at her intensely. "You gave me a choice," he muttered, taking his hands off her and he lowered his head. He stepped away from her and turned his back, continuing to talk without facing her.

"When you asked me if I wanted to remove my scar, you gave me a choice. The opportunity of leaving everything behind and not having to remember what happened to me every time I look at my own damn reflection. The truth is, when I followed you into the catacombs, I hadn't decided yet to betrayal you. I didn't know what to think, I didn't know what to feel. And then I saw you among Aang and my sister. I realized then that if I followed you and asked you to remove my past from me, there were no coming back." He faced her again with a doleful face. She felt her heart tighten.

"So, I'm sorry, Katara…I'm sorry for being a coward back then. I was scared." He lowered his head and faced the ground, closing his wrist, afraid of her answer.

Katara took a deep breath and reached him. She touched his face again, passing her thumb across his scar softly. Zuko wasn't expecting that, but her touching warmed his heart up. He glanced at her again, her big blue eyes staring him back.

"You are here now," Katara smirked. "It might have been delayed a little, but you could find your own path."

"But I betrayed someone that loved me." he murmured doubtful, still staring at her. Those words hit Katara strangely and she couldn't avoid feeling her heart beating really fast. _Damn. What's going on with me?_ She was still facing him, feeling her lips get drier. However, the next words brought Katara back to the ground, harshly."My uncle…"

"Sure," she stuttered, clearing her throat and taking her hands off his face softly, feeling silly for the thoughts she just had. "Your uncle loves you." Zuko nodded hesitantly, not so glad that she had dropped her hand.

"Don't worry," Katara continued talking, smiling to him. "He'll forgive you. He loves you."

"Do you really think so?"

"Sure, I forgave you, didn't I?" she said affectionately and he smiled at her. They stayed like that for a while, just staring at each other, without saying a word.

Zuko didn't know what to say to her, but he felt that he wanted to stay with her a little more. He was starting to feel that she actually understood him. And then, right there in the middle of the night, he realized that she meant something to him, something that he'd never felt before or thought that he could feel. He noticed that it had been a while since he started thinking about her that way, whatever the hell that way was.

"Thank you, Katara," he said very close to her, slightly smiling. Katara smirked back.

"Maybe we should sleep a little," Katara murmured softly and Zuko nodded. They walked towards Appa and he helped her to climb up the bison. They stepped carefully into the saddle, not wanting to wake up anyone, although Sokka was snoring loudly. They laid down with their back turned to each other.

Perhaps, before that all happened, sleeping beside Zuko wouldn't have been a problem for Katara. It would have been like sleeping beside her brother or the girls. However, after all, he had done and said to her, Katara found out that it would be tricky to fall asleep. A fire inside her started to grow and she felt the urgency of turning herself to face him. She started to move carefully, trying as hard as she could to be unnoticeable, so he couldn't find her weird. After a few minutes, she turned herself completely towards him and she stared at him.

"Good night, waterbender," Zuko whispered with a grin on his face. Katara desired to disappear. She wanted to roll to the other side and pretend that she was sleeping, although he wouldn't believe that.

"Good night," she murmured shyly, pretending to be sleepy. She felt her cheeks burning for being caught red-handed. She closed her eyes and forced herself to sleep. Her mind surrounded by one simple thought.

_'No, no, no. Don't say I'm feeling this for him._


	3. Chapter 3 – The Last Agni Kai

_**Author:**_ Becky L. Sly  
 _ **Title:**_ The Moon's Dragon  
 _ **Genre:**_ Romance/Adventure/Drama  
 _ **Rating:**_ T (there will be cusswords, violence and some non-explicit sexual situation that might not be appropriated for all readers)

_**I don't own anything. All character belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, and Nickelodeon.** _

* * *

**Chapter 3 – The Last Agni Kai**

The Team's peaceful sleep was cut short as the ground beneath them bumped and bucked violently. Zuko woke with a start, eyes wide with panic. Frantically he whirled around and found everyone awake as well, and wearing expressions that mirrored his own. Completely in sync, the entire team leaped off Appa's saddle and landed in battle stances, weapons and bending at the ready.

However, before they could do anything, a circle of flame roared to life around them. At the top of the ruins, the Team saw a group of four men staring back at them. Due to the brightness of the fire, none of the Team could tell who the four men were. A familiar voice resounded between the crackling fires. Both Katara and Sokka recognized the voice.

"Well… Look who's here," yelled King Bumi while laughing and pointing towards the kids. "It's alright. I know these ones," continued the king, talking with his companions. The fire around them ceased, allowing them to stare at the firebender that caused it. Without the bright dazzling their eyes, the two siblings recognized all the four men. They were Bumi, Jeong Jeong, Pakku and Master Piandao.

"What's going on? We are surrounded by old people," Toph murmured. Neither she, Zuko nor Suki remembered any of those men, but they saw that both Water Tribe natives were calm and glad about the old men's visit.

"They are not just _any_ old men," Katara began, walking towards Pakku, her old waterbending master. "These are great masters and also our friends," she said excitedly, bowing to greet the waterbender.

"It's respectable to bow for an old master," muttered Pakku, also bowing to Katara with a gentle smile on his face. "But how about a hug for your new grandfather?" muttered the waterbender, opening his arms to welcome his new granddaughter. Katara was slack-jawed, as well as Sokka right behind her, but she smirked and threw her arm towards Pakku.

"This is so exciting!" she exclaimed, hugging Pakku hard. "You and Gran-Gran must be so happy to have found each other again."

Pakku smiled. "I even made her a new betrothal necklace and everything."

Zuko was behind them, watching their 'family reunion'. Katara noticed his presence and called him so she could introduce him to the other masters.

"Zuko," she called softly, guiding him towards Jeong Jeong. "He was Aang's first firebending teacher," Katara said looking at Jeong Jeong. The old firebender knew who Zuko was and smiled at him.

"Hold on," muttered Suki suddenly. "How do you all know each other?" she asked. Bumi laughed before answering.

"All old people know each other, don't you know that?"

"We are also part of an ancient secret society," stated Master Piandao. "A group that transcends the divisions of the four nations."

"The order of the White Lotus," Zuko muttered knowingly, remembering his uncle's words. Master Pakku listened to the firebender's words and nodded.

"The White Lotus has always been about philosophy, beauty, and truth," said Jeong Jeong, continuing Master Piandao's words. "However, about a month ago, we received a call to attempt an important mission."

"A call that came from your uncle, Iroh from the Fire Nation," said Pakku to Zuko, who was standing next to Katara. She smiled at him and Zuko felt his heart getting warmer.

"Exactly who we are looking for!" Toph exclaimed. She was standing behind Sokka and Suki.

The old men told them that they would lead them to Iroh. Suki was leading Appa on the ground while the others were walking further more into the fallen walls of Ba Sing Se.

An uneasy feeling was growing inside Zuko's body and he could also feel his hands sweating. He was nervous about meeting his uncle, thinking about the words that he would say to him. _Nothing good so far._ He wasn't paying attention to Sokka and Bumi's conversation right next to him and sometimes he just muttered something to pretend he was listening.

After a while, they reached the end of the way. Bumi bent a huge rock that was blocking the path. With the rock out of the way, they saw the White Lotus setting up camp. The flags and tents exposed the same white lotus symbol as the clothes of the four men.

The Team walked through the tents, being greeted by all the men that were in there. Zuko was staring at the tents, wondering in which one his uncle was.

"Where?" Zuko muttered weakly. "Where is he?"

Master Piandao listened to Zuko and stepped closer to him. "Your uncle is inside there, Prince Zuko," Master Piandao said, pointing towards a tent right in the middle of the camp.

Zuko sighed. He knew it was finally the moment to stare his uncle in his eyes. He walked slowly towards the tent, feeling his throat getting drier. When he was about to open the tent, he stopped, with his finger trembling. He sat on the ground, staring at the opening of the tent.

Katara was looking at the prince. While they were walking towards the camp she had, just a few times, looked back to see him. She noticed back there that he was having a battle inside his mind.

Looking at him now, sitting on the ground in front of his uncle's tent, she realized that he didn't win the battle. Katara headed after him and sat beside him on the ground. He realized that it was her and, not wanting to look at her at that moment, he bowed his head. Zuko didn't want to admit that he was scared.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

"No, I'm not okay," Zuko answered without looking at her. "I don't know how to apologize and I don't even know if he will accept it. How can I face him?"

"Zuko," Katara said sighing, with a slight smile on her lips. "You are sorry for what you did, right?"

"Sorrier than I've been my entire life," he said, staring at her. Katara smiled when her gaze met his eyes.

"So he'll forgive you," she muttered. "He will. You can trust me."

Zuko considered her words for a moment before he took a deep breath and nodded. He stood up and helped her to stand as well. Zuko didn't say a word, but Katara could tell that he was anxious. He stepped inside the tent and disappeared from her sight.

Katara stayed there. She wished to enter the tent to make sure that Iroh would forgive Zuko, but she knew that she couldn't. Besides, Zuko needed to do that on his own.

"Katara, are you not going to eat?" Sokka yelled to his sister, taking the waterbender away from her thoughts. She headed towards her brother and sat around the campfire. Sokka was devouring his food while Suki was asking him to be more polite.

"Let the man be happy," Toph mumbled from the other side of the campfire. Suki raised an eyebrow to the little earthbender.

"See that, Suki," Sokka said with some noodles coming out of his mouth. "Toph understands me." Toph laughed while Suki just snorted something and continued to eat her food. Katara wasn't listening to them. A few times, she looked towards Iroh's tent, waiting to see the moment where Zuko would come out of it.

"They are taking a long time in there," Katara muttered and Toph listened to her.

"Relax dear," said Toph, while taking a piece of food out of her teeth. "I bet they are having a beautiful uncle and nephew moment that would make anyone touched." Katara nodded, hoping that it was the truth.

* * *

The dawn was about to break in the sky when Katara had finally managed to sleep a little. The sunlight touched her face, making her frown, trying to avoid the brightness. She hadn't slept well since Aang's disappearance. She opened her eyes slowly, getting used to the light. She sat and noticed that her brother and Suki were also sleeping by her side. Toph had bent some rocks not far from them to make her own tent, as she normally did.

Katara stared towards Iroh's tent, as she had done several times over the night. However, to her surprised, she saw the tent opening; Zuko and his uncle were coming out of it.

Zuko looked forward and saw Katara staring at him with wide eyes. He smiled at her, as he was saying that everything was fine between his uncle and him. She smiled back, getting the message, and stood up.

"General Iroh," she said happily, bowing to greet him while he and Zuko reached the campfire. "It's an honor to meet you again." Iroh smiled at the waterbender.

"The honor is mine," said the old firebender with a gentle smile upon his mouth. "Let's have a wonderful breakfast," he continued and Katara nodded.

Katara turned her back to wake up the others and Sokka smirked, very glad to know that they were about to eat again. Iroh made them some tea and sat among them around the campfire. Zuko told his uncle about Aang and also told Iroh that he was the only person that could defeat his brother, the Fire Lord Ozai.

However, Iroh disagreed, telling his nephew that killing his brother would be seen by the world as an act of violence; a brother killing a brother only to get more power. Zuko tried to insist to his uncle, but Iroh shook his head.

"No. The Avatar is the only one who can defeat the Fire Lord and bring balance to the world, ending this war in a pacific way" Iroh muttered, bringing his cup to his mouth. Zuko considered his words for a while and asked his uncle the only question that seemed important.

"And then, you'll take your righteous place on the throne," stated Zuko, but Iroh shook his head again and Zuko raised an eyebrow.

"No. It must be someone younger to take the throne," muttered Iroh before taking a long pause and staring at his nephew. "An idealist with a pure heart and unquestionable honor. It must be _you_ , Prince Zuko."

Iroh's words froze Zuko. A long-time ago, Zuko had dreamed about becoming the Fire Lord, but after he decided to join Aang and his friends, he had left that dream behind. He was incredulously staring at his uncle.

"Unquestionable honor? But… I made so many mistakes," he muttered incredulously, looking at the Team in front of him, but not paying attention to them.

"Yes, you did," Iroh continued, making Zuko stare back at him. "You struggled and suffered but you have always followed your own path. You restored your honor and only you can restore the honor of the Fire Nation." Zuko sighed, with his uncle's words echoing in his mind.

"I'll try, uncle," he murmured, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Well," began Toph, interrupting Zuko's reflections. "What if Aang doesn't come back?"

"Sozin's Comet is coming and our destinies are upon us," Iroh started saying calmly, glancing at each one of them. "Aang will face the Fire Lord. As for me, I will reconquer Ba Sing Se for the Earth Kingdom," he stated, and everybody looked at him in shock.

"That's why you reunited the members of the White Lotus," Suki muttered and Iroh nodded. The old firebender looked back to Zuko.

"Zuko, you must return to the Fire Nation, so when the Fire Lord falls you can assume the throne and restore peace and order," said Iroh and Zuko nodded. "However… Azula will be there, waiting for you."

"I can handle Azula," he hissed, closing his fist, but Iroh moved his arms, catching Zuko's attention.

"Not alone," Iroh warned him. "You'll need help."

Zuko snorted, but he knew his uncle was right. His younger sister was very powerful and was more dangerous than ever. He didn't know who could help him or who he wanted to go with him. He stared at the Team in front of him and his eyes stopped at some big blue ones. Suddenly, his choice became very obvious.

"Katara," he called and Katara jumped when she heard her own name. "Would you like to help me to put Azula back in her place?"

Katara smiled slyly.

"It will be my pleasure," she said and Zuko smiled back.

* * *

Zuko and Katara packed their belongings, and they were ready to take Appa and fly towards the Fire Nation to prevent Azula from being crowned. Toph, Sokka, and Suki planned to attack the Fire Nation air fleet, so it wouldn't destroy the Earth Kingdom.

The Team said their goodbyes and promised each other that they would be together again on Zuko's coronation as Fire Lord. Katara and Zuko took off on Appa while the others mounted a mongoose lizard and ran towards the edge of the Earth Kingdom.

Katara and Zuko sat over Appa's head, both guiding the bison. They were nervous at first and the anxiety only grew inside them when the comet started to cross the sky above them, making the atmosphere red, similar to a sunset. The wind blew strongly towards their faces and Katara had to push her hair out of her eyes several times. She glanced at Zuko and saw that he was expressionless.

"Zuko," she started saying, making the firebender jump. "Don't worry. We can take Azula."

"I'm not worried about her," he said coldly. "I'm worried about Aang," he continued, facing the girl next to him. "What if he couldn't face my father? What if he loses?"

Katara swallowed. "Aang won't lose. He'll come back," she stated, not so sure if what she was saying was what she truly believed or if it was just to comfort herself. "He has to." She faced the horizon, pressing Appa's bridle so it could fly faster. Zuko said nothing more and they both headed towards the Fire Nation quietly.

When Appa flew over the Great Gates of Azulon, Zuko noticed that things were different in the Capital. It seemed almost empty, with no soldiers walking through the streets. It was like the people were hidden in their houses, waiting for Fire Lord Ozai to return. Appa was near the palace and Zuko guided it towards the ground. When they reached the Coronation Plaza, Zuko was surprised by what he saw.

The Coronation Plaza was empty, no citizens were there, not even the imperial guards. Azula was alone with the Fire Sages, ready to be crowned. Zuko jumped off Appa.

"You're not becoming the Fire Lord today," Zuko cried across the Plaza, making his voice echo through the buildings. "I am!"

For a moment, Azula was surprised to see her brother standing in front of her, followed by the Water Tribe peasant. Azula felt a fire growing inside her and the only reaction she had was to laugh, and she laughed hysterically.

"You are hilarious," she mocked, feeling the sarcasm to burn her tongue. She watched the peasant walking after her brother, standing beside him. That sight disgusted Azula even more.

"And you are going down," Katara hissed, glowering at Azula. The princess raised an eyebrow. Her brother had brought a peasant to help him defeat her. _He must be kidding._

The Fire Sages were unsure about how to deal with that. In fact, they were unsure since the moment they were informed they should crown Azula as Fire Lord as soon as possible. The old Fire Sage that was holding the crown reached Azula to ask her if the presence of Zuko should be relevant. However, before he asked her anything, she raised her arm and stood up.

"You want to be Fire Lord?" she asked her brother. "Fine, let's settle this, _just you and me, brother._ Agni Kai!" she cried, her voice also echoing through the plaza.

Katara faced Azula with disgust. Azula knew that she couldn't fight against them both and yet she had challenged Zuko to do it alone. However, Zuko's next word took Katara off guard.

"Okay," Zuko said firmly and Azula smiled. Katara was indignant.

"What are you doing?" Katara asked him, blinking. "She knows she can't take us both. She wants to separate us."

"I know," he said calmly "But I can take her this time." Katara was even angrier about the firebender's stubbornness.

"But it was you who admitted to your uncle that you needed help!" she snapped.

Zuko knew she was right. The moment he asked her to join him, it seemed to be the right choice. Part of him wanted her to be by his side, however, when they were flying with Appa, Zuko started to wonder if it had been a good choice. He knew that she was a good bender, maybe even better than him, but the point was that he was nervous. Timidity grew inside him when he thought about the possibility of Katara getting hurt or worse. When Azula challenged him to an Agni Kai, Zuko felt relief.

"There's something odd about her," he muttered, staring at his sister mindfully. Azula's hair was all messy, her eyes were puffy and she had deep dark circles. However, her look was even stranger: her lethal look was now replaced by a concealed and hateful look.

"I can't explain, but she is sloppy," he continued. He faced Katara and smiled slightly. "Don't worry, no one will get hurt."

At first, Katara wanted to yell at him; to tell that she didn't come here just to watch him fight as if she was a useless girl. Yet, when she faced him and saw that he was worried, she realized that he was trying to protect her. She nodded and gave him his space. The fact that he was trying to protect her surprised her as well as the fact that she let him do it.

"I'll be right after you," Katara said seriously. "If I see that you need help, I'll step in," she warned him, not leaving space for him to counter her. She turned her back and walked away from the firebender.

Zuko faced his sister and signaled that he was ready. They both took their places in the middle of the Coronation Plaza. They kneeled with their back turned to each other and prepared themselves for the fight. Almost in perfect synchrony, they stood up and put themselves in a combat position.

"I'm sorry it has to end this way, Zu-Zu," taunted Azula.

"No, you are not," Zuko retorted. Azula smiled and released a blue fireball at him. At the same time, Zuko struck back with a fireball, nullifying Azula's attack, creating a big firewall. Azula emerged from the firewall and continued to attack her brother successively.

Zuko was calm, which he had never been before when fighting against Azula. He managed to block her attacks easily, feeling his fire growing inside him strongly, helping his movement to flow with the fight.

Azula was using her anger to fuel her fire against her brother. She cast successive flames towards him, but Zuko managed to avoid them all. Azula felt her throat dry, and her eyes were burning.

It didn't take so long until their fire raged through the buildings around the Plaza, reaching their upper floors and roofs. The environment was burning, surrounded by blue and red flames.

Azula used her bending to fly towards her brother. She started to surround him and she cast her fireball at him, but Zuko stroked back and, using his feet, he threw fire towards her. Azula lost her balance and collapsed on the ground, rolling away from him violently.

She kneeled, feeling that she was breathless. She was starting to feel tired and when she glanced at her brother, she noticed that he didn't seem tired at all.

"What? No lightning today?" Zuko jeered at her, his voice echoing the whole plaza. He didn't notice that Katara moved closer to him when she saw that Azula fell on the ground. "Are you afraid I'll redirect it?" Azula closed her fists.

"I'll show you lightning!" she screamed furiously. She started to move her arms one way and another, creating the needed energy to produce her lightning. Zuko took a deep breath to get concentrated. Azula was mad; she wanted to hurt him in some way that he would never forget. Then, she noticed that Katara was right behind him, ready to help. Azula smirked.

Zuko saw his sister smile and felt a shiver down his spine. He glanced over his shoulders and realized that Katara was behind him and that she was Azula's target now. He froze. _No, no, no. Not her!_

The only thing that Katara saw was a light coming towards her and she felt that it was her end, making her heart stop.

"NOO!" Zuko screamed in total despair and threw himself in front of Katara, preventing the lightning from hitting her. Zuko felt a delirious pain in his chest, but he managed to redirect part of the energy to the sky. He fell on the ground, his body shivering involuntarily.

"Zuko!" Katara screamed in panic, not believing in what she had just seen. She ran towards him, ready to heal, but before she could reach his body, a lightning bolt hit the ground next to her, making her jump.

"I'd rather a familiar healer take care of Zu-Zu if you don't mind!" said Azula menacingly, casting fireballs towards the waterbender. Katara avoided the fire, struggling not to get hit. She noticed that Zuko was trying to move; trying to stand up. She ran after him once more, but Azula threw her fire again. Katara had no choice but to run away and hide behind a column.

"Poor Zu-Zu. You don't look so good," Azula teased, and Katara closed her fists, bending the water from the water mirror in the middle of the Plaza and threw it towards Azula. The princess avoided the attack and flew after Katara.

Katara used the water to move through the Plaza, surfing over the icy surface she created towards the other end of the Plaza. She hid behind a column, feeling at a loss for ideas. The only thing that she wanted was to take Azula away from Zuko. She looked down and noticed that she was above the grate that covered the pipes that were used to drain the water from the water mirrors. There were chains tied to the grate, which was used to open it. She grabbed the chains but, before she could do anything, Azula appeared behind her.

"There you are, filthy peasant," cursed Azula. Katara narrowed her eyes and Azula was ready to cast her lightning at Katara. However, before the princess could do anything, Katara raised her arms and pulled the water under her, freezing Azula's body as well as hers. They both couldn't move.

Azula stared wide-eyed at Katara, not being able to move one single muscle. Katara closed her eyes and took a deep breath, melting the water right around her own body. As Katara was moving, she melted the water near her. She grabbed the arms of Azula and tied them with the chains on the ground. Katara made sure that Azula was well tied and then the pulled the water down, making the two of them fall on the ground and cough, trying to recover their breath.

Katara stood up and faced Zuko down on the ground. She ran over to him and turned his body up. She took the water from her pouch and used it to heal him. She pressed her hands on his chest, seeing her water become brighter. At first, he wasn't responding to it and Katara felt her eyes filled with water. She closed her eyes hard. _Please, don't do this to me._ Her hands were shivering over his chest. She couldn't lose him there or it would be her fault. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't be hit by a lightning bolt. Suddenly, she heard him moaning. She glanced down and found Zuko staring at her, with a smile on his face. She smirked fondly.

"Thank you, Katara," he moaned weakly. She could feel the tears streaming down her face.

"I think that I'm the one who should be thanking you, Zuko," she murmured affectionately and he smiled.

She helped him to sit. He wasn't feeling pain anymore, although he was very weak. However, he couldn't stop facing her; he couldn't stop thinking that he had almost lost her. He cupped her cheek and wiped her tears with his thumb. Katara felt warm with his touch and then, maybe being moved by the adrenaline flush through her body, she tilted towards him and pressed her lips to his.

She kissed him and Zuko felt his heart beating faster while he kissed her back. He pulled her face even closer to him, feeling her mouth with his tongue, realizing then how much he had been wanting to kiss her.

"That's new," he muttered, still pressing his lips against hers. She smiled and felt goosebumps all over her body, with his breath over her skin. She stared into his amber eyes and he stared back. However, they heard a noise that made them hit the ground again.

Azula was contorting violently on the ground. She screamed and cast fire out of her mouth, crying hard. That tightened Zuko's heart. It didn't matter how cruel she was, Azula was still his younger sister.

He stood up and Katara helped him. The Fire Sages appeared and walked slowly towards Zuko.

"Prince Zuko," the old Fire Sage began. "What should we do?" he asked with wide eyes, looking from Zuko to Azula. Zuko sighed and ordered them to ask the imperial guards to take Azula to the dungeons, which they nodded. He also told them that he would wait until the return of the Avatar to be crowned. The Fire Sages obeyed and they also helped Zuko and Katara to go to the Royal Palace, where they could heal themselves and wait for the Avatar and their friends safely.

The news soon reached them in the Fire Nation. Zuko knew that his uncle managed to reconquer Ba Sing Se and that now Queen Hou Ting was ruling the Earth Kingdom. Sokka, Toph, and Suki also managed to destroy the air fleet, preventing the earth from burning. However, from all news that Zuko heard, the one that impressed him the most was that Aang fought against his father and won.

Fire Lord Ozai was dead. The Avatar had killed him.

* * *

It had been one week since Zuko was crowned as Fire Lord. His uncle, Aang, Sokka, Toph, and Suki had arrived at the Fire Nation one day after Ozai's defeat. When Aang arrived, he didn't talk with anyone; he seemed really upset. When he was asked about how he defeated the Fire Lord, he only answered he redirected the lightning that Ozai shot toward him. Aang was absent-minded, wondering if he could have done something different. He didn't tell his friends where he was when he disappeared.

Ozai's body also returned to the Fire Nation and it was laid to rest in the same way as the other Fire Lords were. The ceremony happened one day before Zuko's coronation, and Zuko made sure to attend his father's funeral.

Zuko could still feel his chest hurting, due to the scar that Azula left there. One more scar that his family had given him for his collection. He was struggling to put on his Fire Lord vest when he heard a familiar voice coming from the door.

"Need help?" asked Mai and Zuko smiled when he saw her.

"Mai?" he said surprised, watching her walking towards him. She helped him with his vests. "How do you get away from prison?"

"My uncle helped with that," she muttered shrugging, smiling slightly. Even though Zuko was glad to see that she was fine and that she didn't hate him, she wasn't the one that Zuko wished to be helping him with his vests. The truth is, after his fight against Azula, he hadn't had time to talk with Katara. With his uncle and Aang arriving at the Fire Nation and also due to the death of his father, Zuko noticed that he had a lot to do as Fire Lord.

However, he couldn't stop thinking about the waterbender. Even with Mai there, Katara was crossing his mind.

"And having the Fire Lord as boyfriend doesn't hurt, either," Mai continued, taking Zuko away from his thoughts. He noticed that she was blushing and he smiled at her, not sure about what to say. He remembered everything she did for him; he owed her so much. He gave her a friendly hug, not avoiding feeling how his feelings for her had changed.

Not so long after that, Zuko left the room and walked towards the Coronation Plaza, having separated from Mai. He found Aang in the middle of the way. The monk had his eyes closed, meditating.

"It's strange to think that about one year ago I was chasing you," Zuko began, passing his fingers through his tied hair. Aang opened his eyes and smiled at his firebender friend.

"Now we are friends," stated Aang, standing up from the floor. Zuko nodded.

"Yes, we're friends," muttered Zuko happily. He stepped closer to Aang and hugged him. "Follow me?" he asked, pointing at the huge door that leads to the Coronation Plaza. Aang nodded and they both stepped outside.

The Plaza was booked up with people from all nations. Zuko scanned through the crowd, trying to find his friends, his uncle and even Mai. He also found a pair of big blue eyes, he smiled at Katara, and she smiled back.

* * *

Right after the coronation, as his first act as Fire Lord, Zuko ended the Hundred Years War officially. He promised that the Fire Nation would never attack any other nation. The Water Tribe council was there and the Elders Ones signed the Peace Treaties right there, in the Fire Nation. However, Zuko had to travel towards the Earth Kingdom to meet Queen Hou Ting, so she could also sign the Peace Treaties.

Iroh was very happy to know that his nephew was coming to Ba Sing Se and that Zuko would be hosted in his own house, on the upper floor of the Jasmine Dragon, his well-known tea house. The Queen also asked the Avatar to come to Ba Sing Se, to be the witness of the treaties. Aang accepted and asked if he could bring his friends, which Iroh totally agreed with.

And here they were, back in Ba Sing Se, hosted in Iroh's house. All back together.

Zuko, Aang, and Sokka met Queen Hou Ting. The Water Tribe warrior was there to be the Southern Water Tribe diplomat, showing the interests of his tribe and people. Sokka recognized her from one of his wanders through Ba Sing Se's upper ring. She was a spoiled girl back then, and now she became a spoiled queen. Fortunately, Queen Hou Ting signed the treaties, but she wasn't glad about Zuko or Aang.

After his royal duties, Zuko decided to stay a few more days with his uncle in Ba Sing Se. He wanted to ask his uncle some advice about how to rule an entire nation. He also wanted to talk with Katara alone.

Aang was still upset, but less than when he arrived in the Fire Nation. He was outside of the tea house, staring at the sunset. He felt the breeze flowing through his face and over his bald. Katara walked towards him and Aang noticed her presence.

"Are you fine?" she asked softly, but Aang didn't face her.

"I will be," he muttered absently, still staring the sky.

"Aang, you did nothing wrong," Katara started saying, touching the airbender's shoulder. "You did what you had to do."

"You don't understand, Katara," Aang said coldly, without looking at her. "I was _lucky_. I couldn't control the energy of the lightning. It escaped through my fingers and hit him. It wasn't an _act_. It was luck."

"But you were brave to confront him! That's what matters."

"But I didn't feel like myself."

"Aang…" Katara began, but Aang turned to face her.

"I wasn't brave or a coward," Aang said harshly. "Everything I've done, everything that happened, you finding me inside an iceberg, it was all luck. I wasn't even able to enter the Avatar state! I don't even know if I will ever enter the Avatar state again," he muttered sadly, moving his arms.

"You will. I'm sure," said Katara firmly, stepping even closer to the monk. "I believe in you," she continued and Aang smiled at her.

"Well, if everything that happened with me was just luck," Aang began "I want to do _this_ by _myself,_ " he continued and he tilted himself to kiss her.

Katara was caught off guard and stepped away from him. However, when she looked over Aang, she noticed that somebody else saw that kiss.

Zuko couldn't believe what he saw. He went outside to look for Katara and ask her about what was going on between them. But when he saw her kissing Aang, he closed his fists. Zuko turned his back and walked towards the tea house before he could cast his fire towards them.

Katara watched Zuko walking away. She knew that she had kissed him and that she probably felt something for Zuko. However, looking at Aang now, she realized that he, _Aang,_ needed her and she wasn't strong enough to let her friend down. Or maybe she wasn't brave enough to admit what her feelings for Zuko were.

"I'm sorry… Aang," she said, feeling her cheeks burning. "You just caught me off guard." Katara smiled, making Aang smile too.

"Sorry," Aang said, also blushing. "But I needed to do it."

"I think we should get inside," Katara suggested, feeling uneasy to be alone with him right at that moment. He nodded, and they both walked towards the tea house.

Everyone was in there. Sokka was drawing over a tea table while Suki was petting Momo's belly. Toph was leaning upon the wall, with her arms behind her head. Katara sat next to her.

"Where's Zuko?" Katara asked hesitantly.

"He is talking with Iroh," Toph said coldly. "He entered here all angry and with his heart beating really fast. I asked him what happened." Katara felt her cheeks burning.

"What did he say?"

"Nothing," Toph answered rudely. "He just ignored me."

Zuko had ignored Toph, indeed. He just wanted to go away from there, not having to look Katara in her eyes. He walked towards his uncle, ready to say goodbye.

"Uncle," he called Iroh, who was in the kitchen making more tea. Iroh turned to face his nephew and noticed that Zuko had a doleful face.

"Is anything wrong, Zuko?" Iroh stepped closer to him and Zuko changed his expression quickly.

"No, it's nothing," he began, trying to hide his feeling. "I just think it's time to return to the Fire Nation. I'm just worried because I have a lot of work to do as Fire Lord." Iroh considered his nephew's words for a moment before speaking again.

"I see," he said, not so glad about having his nephew leaving. "I hope you'll have some time to visit me here." Iroh smiled, making Zuko tilt to hug his uncle.

"Sure," Zuko said while hugging his uncle. "And I'm also expecting your visits in the Fire Nation," he continued and Iroh nodded.

They both walked back to the living room to meet the other. Zuko said briefly that he was leaving. Everybody was surprised by that, but they all stood up to say their goodbyes. Sokka told him that he should visit them some time at the South Pole, while Toph poked Zuko on his arm tenderly. Aang approached Zuko to say goodbye too, and although Zuko didn't want to talk with Aang, he tried to be polite. However, when Katara approached to say her goodbye, Zuko couldn't face her.

He left without saying a word to Katara. Iroh and Toph noticed that and also noticed how Katara reacted to that. Katara was heartbroken by seeing him leaving without even looking at her eyes; without saying goodbye. She hoped that nobody saw what he did because she couldn't explain what she was feeling to anyone.

Zuko returned to the Fire Nation without looking back. Toph sensed that two hearts were broken that day.

* * *

**A/N: Now, the real story will begin! I know that the fic was walking shamelessly canon until here.**


	4. Chapter 4 – The Riot

_**Author:**_ Becky L. Sly  
 _ **Title:**_ The Moon's Dragon  
 _ **Genre:**_ Romance/Adventure/Drama  
 _ **Rating:**_ T (there will be cusswords, violence and some non-explicit sexual situation that might not be appropriated for all readers)

_**I don't own anything. All character belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, and Nickelodeon.** _

* * *

**Chapter 4 – The Riot**

Three and a half years had passed since Zuko's coronation as Fire Lord, and now winter was approaching the Fire Nation. Zuko could sense this due to the dry air that always surrounded his country this time of the year. The summer was always rainy, but the winter - although the temperature maintained the same all the year around – was dry, almost without any rain. That was exactly what Zuko liked the most about his winter: no cold, no ice _and no water._

The first months after his coronation were the toughest, which made Zuko feel lost under so much pressure. After the Peace Treaties were signed, the first act of Zuko after his returning from Ba Sing Se was to retreat his army, bringing his soldiers back home. Zuko also exonerated some officials, known to be his father's supporters. At first, it seemed that everyone was glad about having their husbands and sons back to home after a hundred years. However, when Zuko exonerated the officials, they all were indignant and revolted, some even tried to threaten Zuko's life but as quickly as the rebellions started, they were silenced, making Zuko realize how hard it was to control a whole nation.

Luckily, Zuko could often count on his Uncle's advice, as he visited Zuko often, bringing boxes full of tea leaves.

"No Fire Lord is truly a Fire Lord without drinking these teas, Zuko," said his uncle, smirking to his nephew.

For a while, Zuko also had the company of Mai, but she ended up feeling that no matter how hard she tried to comfort him or advise him, he always seemed far away. He tried to explain to her that he was busy dealing with the troubles of his country and that he couldn't give her the attention she needed.

Deep inside, Zuko felt that their relationship was destined to end the day he returned from Ba Sing Se and made things up with her.

Mai left him, but before she did, she asked Zuko to accept the Kyoshi Warriors as his personal guard, especially after the rebellious events. Although Zuko thought that he didn't need a personal guard, he noticed Mai's concern, so he accepted the Kyoshi Warriors as his bodyguards. To his surprise, Suki volunteered to be his Chief of Guard and she brought with her some of the best warriors that she had. Ty Lee had also volunteered, making Zuko wonder if that was Mai's way of keeping an eye on him.

"Fire Lord," Suki said as she walked through the Palace internal gardens towards Zuko. He was standing near the pool, watching the turtle ducks swim in the cold water. The Fire Lord turned and stared at Suki as she approached, dressed with the traditional Kyoshi Warrior's vest.

"I thought that you'd be gone by now," Zuko said with a soft smile. After all these years, she was the closest person that he had and they both thought about each other as friends.

"I'm going by the end of the week," she answered with a smile. "I'm making sure that Ty Lee will handle everything when I'm gone," she said seriously, not so comfortable with leaving her responsibilities with someone else.

"Good luck with the cold."

"I know," she said, laughing slightly. "I don't like the cold of the South Pole, but Sokka begged me to attempt the Winter Solstice Festival, so..." She shrugged. Although Zuko had no problem with that, Suki didn't want to leave, but she was struggling to maintain her long-distance relationship with the Water Tribe warrior.

"Here, there's a message for you, Fire Lord." She offered him an envelope. Zuko frowned and grabbed it from her hands. It was a message from Aang; the Avatar was coming to the Fire Nation, as he promised Zuko months earlier, to talk about political matters.

"Aang should arrive tomorrow," he said to Suki, folding the envelope and putting in his pocket. Suki nodded.

"I'll let the other girls know," she muttered smiling and he smiled back. If it wasn't for her, Zuko wouldn't have news from his old friends. The last time he spoke with Aang personally was back in Ba Sing Se, at his uncle's Tea House. Zuko didn't have news from Toph either and the only news he had from Sokka came from Suki when she visits him in the South Pole, something that she used to do once in a while. Although Zuko knew that Katara was in the South Pole, helping her brother and father to rule the Tribe, she rarely appeared in Suki's conversation, and Zuko never asked about her either.

"Maybe the Fire Sages would like to know about the Avatar, too."

"I'll let them know," muttered Suki, ready to turn back to her duties. However, she remembered something important.

"An _accident_ happened last night," she murmured hesitantly and Zuko frowned a moment before understanding dawned upon him

"Accident?"

"That's the word they gave me." She shrugged, taking a deep breath. "Nobody was burned or hurt, but the nurses said that she was a _little bit_ anxious."

Zuko nodded and kept silent. Suki bowed and turned her back, leaving the Fire Lord alone with his thoughts. His sister had caused an accident, _again_.

Azula was committed to a mental health facility; Zuko himself put her there. As much as the Imperial Counselors disagreed with that, he just couldn't leave his sister suffering in the prison, especially after the mental breakdown she had after her defeat. Seeing his sister completely lost, dirty, and crazy tightened his heart when he came back from Ba Sing Se. He put her in a place where she could be both monitored and cared for, on an island near the Capital.

The first two months, Zuko tried to visit her as often as he could, in the big beach house that hosted the health facility. He wanted to make sure that no one would get hurt in case she had one of her angry outbursts. Nevertheless, his visits never ended well. Whenever Zuko visited, Azula would get angry and try to cast her fireballs towards anyone in her way. The nurses and the firebender guards always managed to control her; however, after a few events, they decided that it was better for her, and for everyone else, to use a straitjacket and that Zuko shouldn't visit her, due to the fact that she always went down in his presence. He agreed and hadn't visited since, and any and all 'accidents' ceased as a result.

He looked to the garden around him, remembering the time when they both were younger and played in it. It didn't matter that she was uncontrollable and tried to kill him several times now, she was his sister and therefore his responsibility. So, if she'd caused another "accident", then it was up to him to resolve it.

* * *

Zuko got out of the balsa. Bai Island was a small, rural island situated in the middle of the Fire Nation Gulf. The mental health facility was the biggest building on the entire island, being surrounded by smaller houses that belonged to the residents or employees of the health facility.

Zuko had informed the Kyoshi's that he was going to visit his sister, and Suki refused to let him go alone. They both walked towards the door of the building and before they could ring the bell, the doors opened.

"Fire Lord Zuko." A woman dressed in a red kimono bowed in greeting. "It's an honor to welcome you here."

Zuko nodded and stepped inside the building. The nurse guided him to the hall, furnished with red armchairs and sofas, besides some plants that also decorated the place. The woman faced him again.

"How can I help you?"

"I came here to see my sister," Zuko said quietly. "I wanna know what happened last night."

The woman's expression remained stoic. "She's fine. She just got a little bit anxious late at night," The nurse said sighing. "...When we told her that we were going to give her something to help her sleep, she got...angry," the nurse paused, glancing at her feet. "She...she breathed fire, burning the nurses holding her."

"How is she now?"

"She calmed down. The firebender guards controlled her, eventually."

"Did she say what happened?" Suki asked from behind Zuko. The woman shrugged.

"Some patients don't have reasons for being anxious," she said simply. Zuko raised an eyebrow.

"I wish to see her now," he asked. The woman hesitated, clearly reluctant. Still, she nodded slightly and gestured for him to follow.

Zuko's gaze was immediately met by the sight of his sister. She sat in a wheelchair, a straitjacket tightly binding her arms to her sides. Her dark hair hung limply about her shoulders, slightly unkempt and dull.

"Just give me a minute," Zuko muttered to Suki and she nodded, stepping away from him, ready for anything that might happen. A nurse produced a chair, which Zuko took gratefully and placed in front of his sister. He sat quietly, giving her a once over. She was leaning back slightly, her eyes closed.

"I knew that you'd come, Zu-Zu," she murmured. Zuko was staring at her mindfully.

"So you found a way to get my attention?" he asked coldly and Azula's eyes snapped open, her cold glare fixing on him.

"Don't be so cocky," she said coolly. "Not everything has to be about you, Fire Lord." A cynical smile cracked her face as she taunted Zuko, attempting to get a rise from him. His expression remained blank, however.

"What happened last night?" he asked and Azula began to laugh, wriggling inside the straitjacket for a better position.

"I just had a dream," she began. "a dream where I was using the crown, while you were using my straitjacket."

Zuko sighed heavily. "Azula, it doesn't have to be like this..." Zuko started, but Azula's loud, sarcastic cackle interrupted him.

"If the Fire Lord is saying it…" she trailed off, a mad smile dominating her face. "You don't need to worry, Zu-Zu. The next time you came to visit me, I won't be wearing this straitjacket."

Zuko didn't answer. Instead, he stared quietly at Azula as she ranted and raved.

"If you don't mind, Fire Lord, I'm tired," muttered Azula and Zuko nodded, watching the nurse grab Azula's wheelchair. He stood and followed her while she wheeled Azula to her room. Suki followed closely behind. They paused just outside Azula's room, watching quietly as she was pushed out of sight. Just as she disappeared, the crazed firebender muttered something under her breath that Zuko didn't quite catch. He shared a baffled glance with Suki, before turning to the nurse as she exited Azula's room.

"What did she say? Before she entered the room."

"She wished you good luck, Fire Lord."

* * *

Everything was quiet at the Royal Palace. The sun was starting to rise in the sky and the Fire Lord was waiting for the Avatar's arrival at the Coronation Plaza. The cold breeze of the morning blew strongly, making Zuko contract himself slightly. His personal guards were also there. Suki stood behind Zuko, facing the sky, waiting to see a huge air bison. Aside from the painted warriors, some of the imperial guards were also there, as usual.

Despite his excitement to finally see the airbender again, Zuko found his mind preoccupied with last night's events; primarily his conversation with Azula.

_A dream where I was using the crown, while you were using my straitjacket._

The haunting statement swirled at the back of his mind, keeping him awake all night. Zuko fervently hoped Aang's arrival would distract him from his sister's sinister threats.

Suddenly, the Fire Lord noticed a huge creature flying across the sky, heading towards them. Zuko smiled at the sight of Appa. Sitting on the head of the animal was his friend airbender, who was slightly older since they'd last seen each other.

"Zuko!" Aang yelled as he jumped down off it when Appa touched the ground. He floated gracefully to the ground and walked towards the firebender. "It's been a while!"

"I agree," Zuko muttered sincerely. _"_ It's good to see you too, Appa," said Zuko, looking over Aang's shoulders. Appa grunted and Zuko smiled. It was then that Momo made his appearance, popping his head up over the Bison saddle and peering down below. Momo jumped off Appa and ran towards Aang, climbing his clothes and sitting on his shoulder. Zuko frowned. "Er… you brought Momo too?"

"Yeah," said Aang smirking. "He was missing Suki." The little lemur jumped off Aang's shoulder and threw himself towards the Kyoshi Warrior, landing in her open arms. Suki laughed and rubbed his belly.

"It's good to see you, Aang," Suki murmured softly. Aang grinned widely, much to the enjoyment of everyone present. Zuko saw Ty Lee shoot the Avatar a smirk, which he seemingly ignored.

"I came here for a quick visit," said Aang "Then I'm off to the South Pole."

"Are you also going to the Winter Solstice Festival?" Ty Lee asked Aang, shooting a grin to Suki as she spoke.

"Sure," he continued. "but I needed to visit the Fire Lord Zuko first," said the monk, looking at the firebender. Zuko smiled slightly and asked Aang to follow him to the Royal Palace.

Suki walked close behind them, the remaining warriors trailing after her in pairs aside from Ty Lee, who stayed behind to care for Appa.

When they reached the palace, Zuko guided Aang to the Imperial Office, the room right above the Throne Room. It was there that Zuko spent most of his time. The room had a big iron-framed window, which overlooked the buildings around the Coronation Plaza. Zuko motioned for the warriors to leave, and they bowed politely before disappearing through the doorway. Once they were alone, Aang spoke.

"I can't believe it's been more than three years since I've seen you," he commented, searching for a place where he could sit. Momo lept onto Zuko's desk, curling up contentedly. "You look different. Your hair, it's longer now" he said, sitting in a red armchair in front of the table. Zuko smirked.

"Yeah, I like it this way," said the firebender, passing his fingers through his tied hair. Zuko sat in the chair behind his table. He stared at Aang, noticing how much he had changed. He didn't seem like the kid Zuko remembered. Aang had shaped up, his face less childish now and he'd grown taller as well, being as tall as Zuko. "What have you been doing these past three years?" he asked.

"It's been crazy. After you left Ba Sing Se, Katara, Sokka and I decided to go to the Kyoshi Island with Suki"

"How long did you stay there?" Zuko asked

"About six months." Aang shrugged. "But eventually you asked Suki to come with the other warriors. Sokka and Katara left to the south again, to help their father with the tribe"

"And did you join them?"

"No," muttered Aang slowly. "they needed their time with their people." His expression was downcast as he spoke.

"Where have you been, then?"

"I found some air acolytes," he chirped happily.

"What?" Zuko frowned. "You found more airbenders?"

"No" Aang shrugged, with a big smirk on his face. "They're all non-benders, but they like and live the philosophy and the culture of the air nomads." He paused. "Actually, they were my fan club, but I turned them into air acolytes"

"You had a fan club?" Zuko asked and Aang blushed.

"Sort of," he giggled. His laughter was infectious, and soon Zuko joined in, chuckling at the thought of starry-eyed girls starting a fan club for Aang. It was a silly thought. After a while, their laughter subsided, a silence settling between them.

"I'm not used yet to see Suki here," Aang started saying, uneasy with the silence. "After my stay at the Kyoshi Island, I rarely saw her again."

"When was the last time you saw her?" asked Zuko.

"About three months ago." Aang shrugged. "Sokka and I visit the Kyoshi Island and we met Suki there"

"She was recruiting more warrior to come to the Fire Nation with her," said Zuko and Aang nodded.

"That was what she told us."

"Only you two visited her at that time?"

"Yeah. Sokka and I were traveling to Ba Sing Se when we heard the news from Suki. Sokka decided to visit her before he came back to the South Pole," the airbender said, smiling. "Toph is somewhere in the Earth Kingdom teaching some earthbenders. She's constantly moving around. Katara stayed in the South Pole."

Zuko frowned and cleared his throat. "What were you and Sokka doing at Ba Sing Se?" He asked. Aang's smile faltered. He sighed deeply before continuing.

"That's exactly why I'm here. Sokka asked me to go with him there to meet the Earth Queen. He needed to transmit some information from his tribe to her"

"I heard that he's now the Southern Water Tribe ambassador," Zuko said, remembering one of Suki's comments.

"That's right," Aang said. "But, when I met the queen she talked with me about you. Zuko, Queen Hou Ting is not happy about the Fire Nation colonies. Actually, she is not happy that there are _colonies"_

"I know that," Zuko said coldly, feeling a headache starting to grown. "For a while now she's been sending me letters and ultimatums. She wants her lands back and also that I take all the Fire Nation citizens out of there." He gestured to the mountain of papers beside Momo on his desk; all letters from Queen Hou Ting. Aang just nodded.

"She asked me, the Avatar, to come here and talk with you."

Zuko raised an eyebrow.

"What do you expect me to do?" He asked rudely, making Aang blink a few times, surprised with his old friend behavior.

"That's why I came here," the monk said, his tone serious. "We can resolve this together."

Zuko chuckled dryly.

"Hou Ting is a spoiled woman," he said, remembering the woman two years older than him that he met in Ba Sing Se nearly four years ago. "The people in those lands have already settled down and built their homes and lives there about a hundred years ago"

"But she is still the queen," Aang said seriously. "If she's trying to forcefully remove these people, then we need to help them."

At this Zuko scoffed. "Like what? Convince them to get out of her way?" His tone was harsh, and he winced a little as Aang sighed.

"Maybe we can go there to see their situation," Aang said and Zuko stayed quiet for a moment, considering the Avatar's words. Zuko had yet to set foot in the colonies, having not visited any since long before the war ended.

Seeing that Zuko was still in silence, Aang continued to talk. "It'll be like old times again," he said excitedly. "I'm sure that Sokka would like to help. Katara too."

Zuko quivered when he heard the last name.

"Maybe this is something that I should do on my own"

"We can help you" Aang argued, but Zuko shook his head.

"I'm the Fire Lord. This is my responsibility." Zuko stood abruptly, his gaze wandering to the window. He heard Aang's chair grate against the floor and turned to see the Avatar glaring daggers at him.

"Why are you acting like this?" Aang snapped.

"Acting like what?" Zuko asked.

"You've been practically hiding from us!" Aang said, his arms waving about as he spoke. "You haven't even sent a quick note or anything!"

"I'm not," Zuko returned harshly. "I'm just doing what I must as Fire Lord!"

"You barely talk with any of us" Aang continued talking, raising his voice. He has been upset with Zuko's lack of information for a while now. "You never left the Fire Nation since your coronation."

"None of you know the responsibilities that I have." The firebender raised his voice, feeling his throat burning. Aang shook his head.

"Really? Who do you think you're talking with?" he said rudely, moving his arms and pointing to the arrow on his head. "I did things that I didn't want to do. I took someone's life. So, don't tell me that I don't understand your responsibilities. Even so, I never abandoned a friend. _Not a single one."_ Aang stared Zuko seriously, his voice echoing inside the firebender's head.

A wave of burning hot anger washed over him, making the firebender snap. "Yes, I remember how well you handled your responsibilities in the past," Zuko growled, his knuckles white from how tightly his fists here clenched. "Like when you ran away and hid in an iceberg for one hundred years!"

The words exploded from him before he could really think about what he was saying. A quick glance at Aang's hurt expression and Zuko knew he made a mistake.

Aang couldn't believe what he was hearing. He narrowed his eyes and continued to talk aggressively.

"But I grew up! I've learned with my mistakes!" Aang cried. "And you should do the same!" His shoulders slumped in resignation as the young Avatar pleaded with Zuko. "What I did was wrong, but that was the past. I don't run now, and I never turn my back on someone who asks for my help."

Zuko tossed his arms in the air and snorted, making the fire in the fireplace light up. This scared Momo, who ran towards Aang to hide. Zuko ignored the lemur, shaking with rage as he glared at the wall.

"Maybe I just want to be on my own," he said coldly, turning his back to Aang.

"I once knew a Fire Lord who pushed away everyone that cared about him," Aang said quietly.

Zuko laughed. "Which member of my family are you comparing me with now?" he asked ironically.

"Sozin died alone, with no friends. He even pushed the people he loved away," continued the monk. Zuko took a deep breath and turned again to face Aang. The Avatar was staring at him, still angry with the firebender.

As he looked at Aang, Zuko wondered if he knew about what happened after his fight with Azula; if Katara had told him about them. He wondered if she was with Aang right now if she had forgotten him like she seemed to back in Ba Sing Se. The firebender felt his rage growing inside him as he clenched his fist. As much as he hated it, Aang was right; he had been absent for three years. He'd thought that if he kept himself busy all the time, he wouldn't have time to think about his feelings for Katara and how much he missed the company of his old friends. He tried to kept himself away from them, just to avoid thinking about a certain someone that often crossed his mind.

For three and a half years, Zuko had tried to forget about Katara. And for three and a half years, he wondered if she'd forgotten about him too.

"You're not alone Zuko" Aang murmured softly, interrupting his thoughts. "You have friends, friends who want to be here for you."

Zuko said nothing. Aang sighed and called Momo.

"I'm going to the South Pole," said the monk as Momo clambered onto his shoulder. "If you change your mind, you know where to find us."

As Aang stepped through the doorway, Zuko cleared his throat, making the avatar pause.

"I'll... I'll think about it," he said. He motioned towards the doorway. "At least let me walk you out."

They both walked in silence towards Appa. The Kyoshi Warriors followed them, but when they got at Appa (which was being fed by Ty Lee), they stopped and gave them some space.

"I hope to see you again soon," Aang said, facing Zuko.

"I hope so too." Zuko murmured. The airbender was ready to mount his bison when a laugh froze him on the ground. He looked back to Zuko to see if was him who had laughed, but Zuko was confused as well. They both looked around, trying to find where it came from.

And there, standing a few steps away from the buildings, a man was staring at them. He had dark hair and olive skin. He was dressed with red armor, similar to the Fire Nation army's armor, however, in the center of it was a lotus flower printed.

"Going so soon, Avatar?" the man asked, his voice booming through the buildings. "I didn't expect you to attempt my little ceremony."

"Who are you?" Zuko asked, his question ringing out like a challenge. The atmosphere was tense. The slight shuffling from behind him told Zuko that the Kyoshi Warriors were moving into position, ready to take out the man if necessary.

The man just laughed, louder this time.

"My name, Fire Lord Zuko, is Tai Long," he said, walking slowly towards Zuko. More men appeared behind Tai Long, all adorned in the same strange armor.

"I'm just a humble servant of the true Fire Lord." Tai Long sneered.

"And who is this truly Fire Lord?" Zuko asked, his voice level. He noticed all the men behind Tai Long, also noticing that there were more behind him. He was surrounded by tens of men. He started to feel his throat burning.

Tai Long just laughed and looked back. It was when Zuko saw who was standing behind that man, wearing the same red armor.

"Hello, little brother." Azula crooned. Beside her stood the nurse from the day before.

_She wished you good luck, Fire Lord._

Zuko realized what that was about. Azula was there to take his place and become the Fire Lord, as she always wished to do.

_A dream where I was using the crown while you were using my straitjacket_

_Shit._ She didn't dream about it. She was just warning him about what was going to happen!

Aang looked in panic at Zuko, also realizing why Azula was there.

Suki yelled to her girls to be ready.

"Guards!" Zuko yelled. The guards were already on fighting stance, however, they didn't move. Zuko frowned. "Guards, take her!" he screamed, pointing to his sister, but none of them moved. Zuko looked straight into one of the guard's eyes and for a moment he thought to recognize him, but he didn't know from where. The guards started to walk towards Zuko, ready to attack him. Zuko looked at Azula and noticed that she was laughing.

"They're not listening to me" Zuko muttered in shock.

"Fire." It was the only word that Azula spoke. At the chilling command, the guards raised their fists and fired.

Chaos erupted. Zuko dropped to the ground, barely rolling away in time. Heat blistered his skin as the flames danced dangerously close, scorching the ground where he previously stood.

It was then that the Kyoshi Warriors attacked, many using the chi blocking techniques taught by Ty Lee. Zuko grimaced as a few of Azula's men dropped to the ground uselessly, feeling slight sympathy for the firebending guards.

But only slightly.

Maniacal laughter interrupted Zuko's thoughts, and the Fire Lord whirled around to see Tai Long launch a fireball directly at him. A gust of wind parted the flames, and Aang slid to a halt beside him. Immediately, the Avatar stomped the earth and a dirt wall erected before them, giving what little protection it could. Suki appeared behind the two, keeping guard from behind.

"There's too many!" Aang shouted. As soon as the words left the airbender's mouth, the rock wall he'd created collapsed into the earth, leaving Zuko and his companions gawking. The three faced each other in panic. They looked at the chaos in front of them and then realized that earthbenders were present too.

One earthbender ran after them and then, for their total surprise, he bent lava towards them. Aang quickly snatched control of the lava, stopping the river of lava to reach them. Zuko blasted fire towards the enemy earthbender, maneuvering away from Aang and the cascade of lava. A huge rock was chucked at them, but Aang managed to block it, sparing Zuko once again. Suki was fighting as hard as she could, but she couldn't avoid noticing that her warriors, her friends, were falling on the ground.

Zuko's mind wondered as he fought off guard after guard. _Why were they doing this?_ He quickly looked up and saw Azula staring at him. She stood there amidst the fighting, observing him as he fell. Zuko knocked the guard out, defeating him, and glanced at the madness around him. Kyoshi Warriors were falling left and right, loyal to the end. He saw his friends, Suki and Aang, being two of the last to stand and fight. He gazed returned to Azula, and he wondered if this was the end.

He never saw it coming.

"Zuko!"

Zuko jerked his attention to the Avatar, time slowing down. Aang's eyes were wide as he gazed at something behind Zuko.

"Look out!"

He turned just in time to see a boulder coming at him. The big rock collided violently against Zuko left side. He heard a noise of something breaking and in the next second, he felt a delirious pain coming from his left arm. Not supporting the pain he fell on his knees on the ground.

When he tried to get up, he looked down at his left arm and for his shock, it seemed that his shoulder was no longer there. His sight went dizzy and he tried to focus on the scene in front of him. All he could see were blots and shades of lights.

Suki gasped at the sight of Zuko's crumpled form. He groaned once and struggled to rise, only to collapse again. The sight prompted her into motion, and Suki found herself running to her fallen friend. She put his shoulder back in the place. Zuko moaned with the pain.

"Get him out of here!" Aang yelled. "I'll handle these guys!"

"But how will you escape?" Suki asked, helping Zuko to put his arm over her shoulder. Aang blocked a few attacks before answering.

"I'll meet you guys. Don't' worry about me." He pointed to Appa, who was holding his own against the enemy benders. "Take Appa and get out of here!"

Suki nodded. She needed to protect Zuko, that was her mission. She ran with him towards Appa. Aang leaped into the air and pounded into the earth, creating a dense dust cloud to give Suki and Zuko some cover. Suki watched more flashes of light erupt through the hazy cloud of dirt, but Aang managed to block them all. Suki helped Zuko to climb the bison, however, when Zuko was finally over the saddle, a boulder covered with lava came towards Appa, scaring it and making it jump. Zuko lost his balance and collapsed on the saddle, over his injured arm. The pain that he felt was so strong that he fainted.

Suki grabbed fistfuls of Appa's fur and began yanking herself up. She almost lost her balance when the bison jumped. She hauled herself to Appa's head, holding tightly his reins. Suki looked back to see if Aang was close enough to join them, but he was nowhere to be seen. She could only see an earthbender raising a rock from a pool of lava. As fast as a blink, the lavabender threw the rock with lava at them. In order to avoid being hit, Suki ordered Appa to dodge. The lavabender came closer and started to melt the ground towards the bison. Seeing the boiling lava, Appa jumped once more. Suki held tightly its ribbons and made it took off. Appa started to fly away from that chaos.

Guiding the animal, Suki gazed into the Coronation Plaza. It was swathed in dust and ashes. A clearing in the dust and rubble revealed the unsettling sight of Azula. The former princess glared at Suki, her expression cool and calculating.

She knew that Suki had Zuko with her.

It was then that Azula smiled, a terrifying and cruel smile. Suki shuddered and flicked Appa's reigns, guiding the air bison away from Azula's sight.

"Aang, where are you?" Suki muttered, feeling her heart tighten. She glanced back at Zuko's unconscious form. She needed to find someone to heal him. Zuko moaned, feeling his body very weak. Suki knew what she had to do. With tears in her eyes, she spared one last glance at the scarred plaza before tugging Appa's reins and guiding him south.

"Come on Appa," she murmured, trying to encourage the air bison to fly as fast as he could. Suki could feel the tears dripping down her cheeks as thoughts of her friends flitted through her mind.

She left them all.

She left Aang.

Suki heard another soft moan, so she looked back again to see Zuko attempting to roll. He was trying to take the weight away from his left side. She felt her throat burning, but she knew that she had to do what she did. It was her duty to protect the Fire Lord, her friend.

"Don't worry, Zuko," she murmured. "Soon you'll be safe in the South Pole."

This was the last thing Zuko heard before he fainted once more in Appa's saddle, as they flew as fast as Appa could, carry them towards the Southern Water Tribe.


	5. Chapter 5 – Underneath The Tundra: Part 1

_**Author:**_ Becky L. Sly  
 _ **Title:**_ The Moon's Dragon  
 _ **Genre:**_ Romance/Adventure/Drama  
 _ **Rating:**_ T (there will be cusswords, violence and some non-explicit sexual situation that might not be appropriated for all readers)

_**I don't own anything. All character belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, and Nickelodeon.** _

* * *

**Chapter 5 – Underneath The Tundra: Part 1**

Katara was working in the Healing Center when she looked at the window and realized how dark it was. It wasn't too late, but the sky was already dark due to the shortening days. The winter solstice was growing closer, meaning the nights were getting longer.

However, the darkness didn't bother the Water Tribe natives, who were all well used with that. Truthfully, it was kind of the opposite. Since Pakku brought with him waterbenders and healers from the North, the wintertime was the most festive and amusing season of the whole year. The winter would start at the Winter Solstice Festival, which would happen in a few days. That festival was one of many things that Pakku brought with him when he moved to the South nearly four years ago. He was given a mission to help the South and that included teaching the art of the waterbending and healing, as well as the old festivals and costumes from the North.

The Healing Center was built about two years ago. The healers from the North worked there since its inauguration, ready to help anyone that might need and also teach their technique to new waterbenders. Unlike the other buildings, which were all igloos, the Healing Center was built with oak wood, being extremely solid. It had two rooms: one filled with stretchers and armchairs to receive the wounded, and the other one was smaller, having only a bath on the floor, which was used to submerge the badly wounded to receive intensive treatment.

Since Katara was the only waterbender in the South until Pakku's arrival, she was invited to join the healers to help them and also to improve her technique. At first, she didn't want to accept the invitation. She was very busy helping her father and brother to rule the Tribe. The first two years after her return, she helped the other benders to rebuild and build houses for the people. However, Pakku convinced her that she needed to use her skills on something else and although she was a brilliant waterbender, she still needed to improve her healing.

Katara accepted although she wasn't happy about that. But she had to admit that the classes were very interest and different from what she thought. When she studied it in the North, her master used a doll to show the waterbenders the flow of the water in the body. But here, her master believed more in the practice. Katara healed almost everyone in her tribe, treating bruises and cuts. Everyone was thankful for her abilities and presence in the tribe. That warmed her heart and encouraged her to continue. Her master, Kaato, was really proud of her, as well as Pakku.

"Still here, Katara?" said her master Kaato, taking Katara away from her thoughts. He was as old as Pakku. He had long white hair, which was usually tied in a braid. He had deep blue eyes and he always had a gentle smile on his lips. "The other healers have already gone," he said.

"I know. I'm just cleaning up some things," she muttered softly, straightening the stretchers of the healing room.

"You have really improved your waterbending here," he said, also helping her to straighten the stretchers. "Maybe you are now ready to do the submerged healing."

Katara faced him surprised, but he noticed that her eyes were shining.

"Really?" She said enthusiastically. She was really curious to use the bath for a long time. Kaato nodded, still smiling.

"You're a wonderful waterbender and an example for the whole Tribe," he said. "I'm sure one day you'll be the best healer in the world"

Katara was touched. She bowed to thank her master, being very glad for meeting that old and gentle man in her life. He also bowed to her before he turned his back and headed out of the Healing Center. He lived in a small house next to the building, so if anyone had urgency, they would know where to find him.

Katara grabbed her things and also headed out of the building, turning the lights off before going out, walking towards the Tribe downtown. She and Sokka were living in her father's house since their arrival. Gran-Gran was living with Pakku just a few igloos north of her house. However, as often as they could, Hakoda and his kids always visit Kana to have dinner together. And that night wasn't different.

As she walked towards Kana's house, she noticed some kids playing around in the snow, throwing snowballs and waterbending the ice beneath their feet. She smiled with that. Since the arrival of the northern waterbenders, her village became so… alive! When she walked by the Tribe Central Square, she noticed some people decorating it for the Winter Solstice Festival. It was all very colorful and bright, illuminating the Tribe. The waterbenders also created ornate arches to decorate the square.

The South Water Tribe was very different. If Katara wasn't there to help and watch it grow, she wouldn't recognize her own home.

She reached her grandmother's house. Kana and Pakku were sitting at the table in the middle of the room, drinking their tea and waiting for their grandchildren.

"Katara!" Pakku opened his arms to welcome the waterbender. Katara hugged him fondly. "How was your day in the Healing Center?" he asked. However, before she could answer, Sokka opened the front door in a hurry, breathless.

"Katara" he exclaimed, trying to recover his breath. "Hurry up" he yelled, turning his back and running away from the house. Katara looked at Pakku in shock. She stood up quickly and ran after her brother.

"Sokka" she yelled. "What happened?"

"A guard told me that he saw a bison flying across the sky," he said.

"Is it Aang?" she asked

"They didn't tell me" he answered. "They told me that it landed in the harbor. I came here first to warn you" he continued, running quickly. Katara felt her heart beating fast. Aang had written to her that he would show up for the Festival, but he didn't tell her when he would arrive. Since she left him to come back to the South Pole, they tried to see each other as often as they could. He always managed to visit her in her home. However, after the events of Ba Sing Se, they never talked about _them_.

They reached the harbor. Katara surpassed Sokka and was the first of the two to get there. She noticed that there were a lot of waterbending guards there. She listened as one of the guards told Sokka that the animal arrived there just a few minutes ago. She walked through them and then she finally saw the big air bison.

"Appa" she exclaimed, running after the animal. She noticed that someone was standing next to the animal and when she stepped closer to it, she realized it was Suki.

"Katara" Suki sighed, running after the girl and dropping herself into her arms. "I'm so glad to see you," she said. Katara hugged back, confused to see her there.

"What happened?" Katara asked, still hugging Suki, noticing that she was shaking and seemed to be in shock.

"Suki" Sokka yelled behind Katara. He ran after the warrior and hugged her tightly. He noticed that her clothes were burned and torn.

"I didn't know where to go," she said, hugging Sokka. "I needed to save him. He needs to be healed!" Katara felt her heart tightening. She looked at Appa and then she realized that it also seemed like it had just been on a battlefield.

"Aang" she muttered slowly. She walked towards Appa and she quickly climbed it. However, when she looked over the saddle, she was surprised to see that Aang wasn't there.

The Fire Lord Zuko was there, instead.

"Zuko" she exclaimed and Sokka also turned his face to see her. She approached him, noticing his burned and torn clothes. He was all dirty and seemed very weak. However, when he listened to his name, he opened his eyes for a moment.

The first thing he saw was a pair of big blue eyes staring at him.

"Katara," Zuko muttered very slowly, barely hearable, but she could listen to him. She moved her hand to touch his arm, but as she touched his left arm, he groaned in pain, making her quickly back her hand off him. He tried to say something else, but he felt very weak. He couldn't move a finger.

"He needs help!" she yelled. The waterbenders guards, that were near them, climbed the bison to help. However, when one of the guards tried to take Zuko's arm over his shoulder, the firebender howled in pain.

"Hold on!" Katara cried, holding Zuko's body so he wouldn't collapse on the saddle again. "I think his arm is broken," she said, helping him to lay over Appa's saddle, being very careful to not touch the injured area again.

"I can help him," a familiar voice said behind Katara. She looked back and saw Pakku standing on the ground. He followed her when she left his house. Katara nodded and then Pakku raised his arms, bending the ice on the ground and leading it towards the saddle. He immersed Zuko's body with the water. Zuko didn't feel any pain, but he could feel the coldness of the water on his back. Pakku kept bending the water and then he turned it into a solid icy stretcher under him. He lifted the stretcher carefully, taking the firebender off the saddle. The other waterbenders helped the master to lift the stretcher to the ground. The guards created some holders in the stretcher to help them to carry Zuko to the village.

"We must get him to the Healing Center," said Pakku and the waterbenders nodded. Katara approached to the stretcher.

"You should come with us," Pakku said to Suki, also worried about her.

"I'm fine," she said sincerely. "Just help him." Pakku nodded and started to run towards the Healing Center.

"I'm gonna take Appa to the stable," said Sokka, walking towards the bison.

"I'll help you," said Suki. Katara looked at them and nodded, telling that she would be in the Healing Center as she started to run. She was able to reach the stretcher and helped the guards to carry Zuko.

The waterbenders carried Zuko through the whole village. Pakku was walking ahead of them, telling the people to give space so they could pass. The natives seemed curious about who was the person they were carrying, but none of them could recognize the Fire Lord. Katara kept herself walking near Zuko's face, wondering why he was like that. _What happened?_ She was really confused and worried.

Pakku reached Kaato's house, knocking the oak door to call him.

"Kaato" yelled the old waterbender. Not so long after that, the front door opened and Kaato appeared dressing his pajamas. He faced Pakku with his smile, however, he noticed that Katara was behind him and behind her were the guards carrying a stretcher. Kaato expression changed immediately. "It's an emergency," said Pakku. Kaato nodded and quickly asked them to follow him towards the Healing building. He opened the door and asked them to bring Zuko over the bed. Being very carefully, Pakku bent the water away from Zuko's body, dropping it outside the building.

"Fine," said Kaato, analyzing the firebender. "I need you all to leave. Except for you, Katara. I'll need you here" he said and the others nodded and headed towards the door, knowing that they wouldn't be useful anymore. Katara walked towards the bed and Kaato kept analyzing Zuko's injuries.

"I think he broke his arm," she said and Kaato nodded without looking at her. He took Zuko's left arm and carefully raised it up, noticing Zuko's doleful face.

"He also dislocated his left shoulder," he said, gently pressing his fingers through the firebender side. "I'm afraid to say he also broke two ribs" he continued and faced Katara. She felt her heart tightened even more.

"Can you walk?" Kaato asked Zuko. The firebender moaned before answering.

"I'm not sure," he said, still in a great amount of pain. Kaato nodded.

"Katara, help me get him seated"

Katara held Zuko's back gently, putting his right arm over her shoulder. Slowly, she helped him get seated. Zuko trembled with that movement.

"His shoulder was put back in place, but not completely," said Kaato, with his hands over Zuko's left shoulder. He turned to face Zuko before he continued. "This might hurt," he said and before Zuko could ask _'what?'_ , Kaato put his shoulder back in place. The pain he felt was so strong that he struggled to hold back the screaming, grabbing whatever clothes of Katara's he could reach and grip them as hard as he could. He felt dizzy, the pain was so intense that he struggled to not pass out.

After a while, his pain was gone, but his arm still felt numb. Zuko realized then that he had his face buried in Katara's shoulder. He tried to face her and met her eyes. She looked very worried.

"We should take him to the bath," said Kaato. He helped Zuko to stand up and helped the firebender to walk very slowly towards the other room. When Kaato opened the door, Zuko noticed a bath filled with water on the floor. The old master helped him to get into the water with his clothes on. Being helped by the two waterbenders, Zuko stepped carefully into the bath, feeling the cold water touching his skin. He sat slowly and submerged his body almost completely, leaving only his head off the water. He looked up and noticed the two benders gazing at him.

Kaato turned to Katara. "You can take care of him," he said. Katara looked back to him in shock, she didn't expect her first full submerge healing would be with Zuko. "Don't worry," said Kaato gently. "You are more than ready"

Zuko didn't understand, but he noticed that Katara took a deep breath before she sat on the floor near the bath. Zuko was facing her mindfully. She was different: her face was slightly slimmer and her hair was shorter than he remembered. But her eyes, _her big blue eyes,_ were the same. Katara raised her arms and began to move them in rhythmical flow, swaying her arms. The water began to shine and Zuko also felt that it had warmed up. Katara could feel the energy of his wounds over the water. She felt the fractures of his bones and the ligament of his arm that had ruptured. She continued to bend the water, feeling the energy of his injuries gradually dissipate in the energy of water.

Zuko could feel his body warming up. The pain wasn't so intense anymore and his muscles were starting to relax. He was feeling very weak, but not like before when he was over Appa. He was now feeling _tired._ The last thing he saw was Katara and how she seemed very focused on what she was doing.

"Katara" he muttered while he slowly closed his eyes. She was scared when she saw that and without stopping her bending, she looked up to find her master's eyes.

"Don't worry," he said softly. "It's normal to sleep when the body is submerged." He kneeled and sat beside her. "You're doing a great job, Katara," he said, patting her back. She slightly smiled and faced again the firebender, keeping concentrated in her bending.

An hour had passed since their arrival, but Katara didn't notice the time passing by. She was only feeling her heart racing, trying to understand what had happened to him.

"I think that's enough," said Kaato, gently touching Katara's shoulder. She nodded and slowly dropped her arms, stopping the bending. The water returned to its normal state. "When the water gets cold, he'll wake," he said.

Katara stared at Zuko while he was sleeping. However, she and Kaato listened as the front door opened and someone seemed to walk in. The second door also opened and Hakoda appeared behind it.

"Chief Hakoda," said Kaato, standing up and bowing to greet Katara's father.

"How is he?" he asked, staring at Zuko in the water. He looked back to his daughter that was sitting on the floor. He recognized the sadness in her eyes.

"He'll be fine. Katara took care of him, he won't have any further complications with his wounds" he said, facing Katara with his gentle smile. "However, he'll need some local treatment on his arm during the next days" he continued.

"I'll do that," said Katara quickly and Kaato nodded.

"As soon as he wakes up, we'll take him to one of the beds, so he could rest," the master said, but Hakoda raised his hand.

"No," he said seriously. "As far as we know, he _is_ the Fire Lord. No one should know that he is here. He'll stay in my house to get healed," stated the chief. Katara faced her father with wide eyes.

"Dad, what do you know?" she asked hesitantly, but he only shook his head.

"We'll talk about this back home," he said, staring at Katara. He turned his face to Kaato. "I need to ask you to not tell anybody that he was here," he said, pointing to Zuko. The master nodded without asking anything.

"As soon as he wakes, I'll help you to take him to your home," said Kaato and Hakoda thanked him.

After fifteen minutes, Zuko finally waked up. He tried to move, but he felt the weight of his soaked clothes. The three Water Tribe natives noticed the movement and quickly headed towards him. Katara kneeled on his height.

"Zuko," she said softly, relieved to see that he was awake. "How are you feeling?"

Zuko considered that question and after a while, he sighed before answering.

"With less pain," he said, trying to move his left arm. "But my arm is still numb"

"That's because you broke the humerus and deeply hurt several posterior ligaments," said Kaato and Zuko gazed at him with wide eyes. "You also dislocated your left shoulder and broke two left ribs."

"Just that?" he asked bitterly.

"No. You also have scratches and burns all over your body" said the master. Zuko took a deep breath. _Shit_. Things were really bad.

"We have to immobilize your arm," said Katara, facing the firebender.

"Okay," said Zuko without facing her. Kaato helped him to get out of the bath and guided him towards the other room. Katara used her waterbending to dry his clothes, dropping the water into the bath again. Zuko sat in one of the armchairs of the first room. Katara and her father were observing Kaato as he took a knife and cut the rest of the sleeve of Zuko's vest. With his arm exposed, Katara saw the extension of his wounds and bruises. Kaato took a band and wrapped it around the firebender left arm. He finished his work using a sling to give support to the firebender's arm.

When his work was done, he asked Zuko if it was comfortable, but Zuko only muttered in response. He stood up from the armchair, still feeling his body weak. Hakoda asked him to follow him and he, Katara and her father headed to the chief's house.

The minute Zuko stepped outside the Healing Center, he felt a cold wind cutting his body. He shrunk himself, trying to keep his body warm. Katara noticed his struggle.

"I'll give you some warmer clothes," she said softly, touching his shoulder.

"I'm fine," he said rudely, stepping away from her. He kept following Hakoda. Katara jumped with that and looked at him with wide eyes. However, she didn't say anything and kept walking towards her house.

When they reached the chief's house, Zuko noticed that it seemed bigger than the other houses he briefly saw in the village. It was an igloo with an oak front door. Zuko sighed, thinking how cold it would be on the inside. But for his total surprise, when Hakoda opened the front door, the firebender realized how wrong he was. It was an igloo, but its structure was made of wood and some kind of coating that didn't let the cold come in. Besides, the house was furnished with fur and pieces of weaving on the walls. It was completely different from the igloos and tents that Zuko saw in the past when he tried to catch Aang.

What appeared to be the main room, was full of people, all sitting next to a table. Sokka and Suki were there, sitting beside Pakku and an old lady that Zuko thought to be Katara's Grandmother. When they entered the room, a silence was established. They all looked at Hakoda and Zuko.

"Fire Lord Zuko," said Pakku, staring at the boy. "Tell us what happened" he continued. Zuko sighed, he didn't want to talk about that and he wasn't even sure about what to say to them. Luckily, the woman next to Pakku raised her hand.

"He doesn't have to," she said and then she looked at Suki. "From what Suki already told us, he needs to rest," she muttered tenderly, facing now the firebender. Zuko nodded, feeling thankful for her.

"He can stay in my room," said Sokka, standing up from the floor, but Katara was faster.

"I'll show him," she said, heading towards Sokka's room. There were four doors in the living room. Katara had a room for herself, as well as Sokka and his father. The other door led to a bathroom. Zuko followed the waterbender. He passed through the door and took a look at the room. The bed on the floor had a lot of blankets and fur and there was also a small bedside table beside it with a lighted lantern. There were pieces of weaving on the wall and a small trunk in the corner of the room.

Katara closed the door behind her.

"What happened?" she asked him and he could tell that she was both worried and angry with him. He faced her for a moment before he looked away.

He was exhausted, to say the least. He couldn't find words to describe what he had passed back in the Fire Nation. The images of his guards crossed his mind. Not a single one moved to help him. _No one._ He was starting to feel miserable. He, the Fire Lord, had escaped as a dog, and now he was trying to hide in the middle of the literal firebender's nightmare: cold, with almost no sunlight.

 _Such a nice way to discover your political approval._ He snorted, not being able to face Katara. He just couldn't have her there, staring at him and waiting for an answer. Not at that moment.

"I'm tired," he said coldly, walking towards the bed.

"Zuko…" she tried to reach his right arm, but he took it away from her.

"Katara, please," he said, staring deeply into her eyes. She felt the intensity on his eyes. He was angry, broken and _hurt_. It was the same eyes that she saw the last time they met in Ba Sing Se. She took a deep breath, feeling her heart aching inside her chest.

"I hope you sleep well," she murmured cheerlessly, lowering her head before getting out of the room. Zuko was looking at her with the corner of his eyes when she closed the door. He laid on the bed, not even bothering with taking his clothes off, or what was left of his clothes. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but the images from Azula's attack crossed his mind. He opened his eyes and rubbed it with his right hand.

_Shit. This will be a long night._

He turned his body to the other side and started to stare at the lantern over the bedside table. It lights illuminated partially the room. He observed as the flames seemed to flow and for a second he thought if he'd be able to firebend with his arm broken. As much as that thought intrigued him, he was so tired to get up and try it. He closed his eyes again, harder this time. The images came back again. He remembered the flames, the dust in the air, the rocks being thrown at him. All that happened in the middle of the Coronation Plaza. Suddenly he also remembered that it was the same place where Katara had kissed him.

_Shit. Shit. Shit. This will definitely be a long night._

* * *

While Zuko was struggling with his own thoughts, Katara returned to the main room and sat beside Pakku. They were still on the table, without saying any word. As much as Katara was shocked to see Zuko there, part of her was happy with that. After Ba Sing Se, they never spoke with each other again. The only news that she had from him came from Sokka when he talked with Suki.

"We haven't had any news from him over four years and suddenly he appeared like this" comment Sokka from the other side of the table.

Katara frowned. "What happened?" she asked her father, but before he could answer, Suki was the one to speak first.

"They ousted him from the throne," she said seriously, telling the story all over again. Katara was listening to her mindfully, not quite believing in what she was hearing. Although Suki was by that time without makeup, her eyes were red and she seemed tired. "I don't know who attacked us, but the man leading them was called Tai Long," she said, remembering that godforsaken laugh.

"Azula was also with them," complemented Sokka and Suki nodded. Katara was slack-jawed.

"Azula?" she yelled, forgetting that Zuko could listen to what they were saying. "But wasn't she locked in an asylum?" she asked slowly. Suki took a deep breath before continuing.

"She was" she began. "Zuko and I visit her the day before. Everything seemed normal. She was using a straightjacket…I-I should have noticed that something was wrong…I could have saved..."

"Suki" Sokka started to say, rubbing her back gently. "It wasn't your fault".

Suki shook her head. "No! My mission was to save him. I was his personal guard… I-I failed" she said weakly, her hands were trembling.

"You didn't fail, my dear," said Kana, gently touching Suki's cold hands.

"But I left my girls behind!" she said nervously. "They fell and I didn't come back to them. I barely saved Zuko. I didn't come back to save Aang" she continued, snuffling.

"Aang?" Katara jumped. "He was there? What happened to him?" she asked and Suki stared her, feeling herself like crap.

"I don't know," said Suki, lowering her head. "The last time I saw him, he told me to take Zuko out of there, and that he would find a way to deal with those men."

"And where is he now?" asked Katara, shivering, trying not to think about the worst. _No, no, no, no. He can't be gone._

"I don't know," said Suki sincerely. "When I tried to find Aang, they threw a boulder with lava upon us. Appa took off and I couldn't see anything down there. Only dust and ashes"

"He is alive," said Sokka, facing his sister. "From what Suki told us, he probably had entered in the Avatar state and kicked the butts out of them," muttered Sokka and Katara sighed. Aang had only told her that he couldn't enter the Avatar state anymore.

"The Fire Lord might still be in danger," said Hakoda, pulling Katara away from her worries. She turned her back to face her father. "If they find out that he is here, they will kill him"

"And destroy the village" continued Pakku and Hakoda nodded. Katara faced her old master, feeling her throat burning.

"No!" she said angrily. "We'll not abandon him"

"No one will abandon nobody, sweet," said Hakoda, pressing his hand over his daughter's shoulder. "I didn't forget what he did for me in the past. Or should I say, for _us?_ I own him" he continued, remembering how that boy along with his son saved him from the prison in the past. Katara nodded, feeling relief.

"Yet," began Pakku. "It's better no one knows that he is here. At least for now."

"Granpa-Ku is right," said Sokka, making with Pakku took a deep breath.

"How many times do I have to ask you to not call me like that?" muttered Pakku without patience.

"The point is that we must know what truly happened," continued Hakoda, interrupting Pakku. "Who is this organization that controls the army and have Azula as their ally"

"And also what happened with Aang," murmured Katara and her father nodded.

"Maybe we should also contact the Elder Ones from the Water Tribe," said Pakku. "We also must ask for our traders to get information about the Fire Nation."

Hakoda agreed with Pakku. They along with Sokka started to discuss their plan. They would make a meeting with the family leaders of the Tribe to explain the situation and to ask them to keep the secret about the location of the Fire Lord, for the safety of the whole Tribe. Pakku committed himself to write a letter to the Elder Ones, asking them to come to the South to talk about that subject.

After hours of debating, Kana announced that she was tired and that Suki also needed to rest. They could continue that discussion on the following day. Katara borrowed to Suki some of her clothes, so the warrior could be more comfortable. Sokka left the house with his grandmother and Pakku, he would stay with them in the guest room while Zuko was sleeping in his room.

Katara shared her room with Suki. The waterbender talked with Suki until she fell asleep. Katara wanted to make sure that she was calmed. However, Katara was the last one to sleep. Her thoughts went from Aang to the next room. She was still in shock for everything that happened and she also felt sorry for Zuko. It had been a long time since the last time she talked with him. As much as she hated to admit it, he often crossed her mind and she would be lying to say that she didn't feel jealous when Sokka told her that Zuko and Mai were together again. But she also couldn't help feeling nervous about Aang and where he might be. The only thing that she wanted was to her friend to be fine. _To her both friends to be fine._

* * *

Azula was staring at the crowd in front of her in the Coronation Plaza. They all watched Azula became the Fire Lord. _Fire Lord Azula._ She dreamed about that title her whole life and finally, she had achieved it.

Tai Long provided everything. He, along with his men, headed towards the Capital Temple and brought the Fire Sages with them. Meanwhile, the soldiers that stood against Zuko headed towards the Capital streets, telling the news to the people that the Fire Lord Zuko has fallen and that now they should be loyal to the new Fire Lord Azula.

However, the Fire Nation citizens remained quiet. They were all in shock and scared by the earlier events. Their fear only grew larger when they heard the threats from the soldiers, saying that anybody that might support Zuko would have the same end as he did.

With a situation like that, the coronation was very reserved. Only the Fire Sages, some men of the Fire Nation army and some men of Tai Long attended to it. The plaza was destroyed, due to that battle that happened. The buildings around it were all burned and covered with dust. But Azula didn't care about that. Her goal was complete.

"Fire Lord Azula," Tai Long called her. He was standing next to her, in front of the Coronation Temple. "I have information that might interest you." Azula nodded and once the coronation ceremonies were done, they walked back to the Royal Palace.

They walked in silence side by side. The nurse that helped Azula in the Health Facility Center also walked with them. She was the sister of Tai Long. Azula knew him for about one year: his sister presented him to Azula one night in the Health Facility. He was a discreet man and the day they met he told her how to hurt the Fire Nation was and how only she could save it from her brother. He promised her that he would turn her into the Fire Lord if she let his men do all the work that needed to be done. Azula agreed with that without giving a second thought.

And here she was. Fire Lord.

When they reached the big doors of the Royal Palace, the guards opened it for her. She breathed slowly, feeling relief for finally being at home again. Everything was as she remembered it. The same furnisher, the same paintings, the same red. They headed towards the Throne Room, passing through the gallery of the Fire Lords. All members of her family were there and soon she also would be. She stopped walking when she reached her brother's portrait.

She faced him angry, closing her fists as harder as she could, feeling her nails hurting the palm of her hands. Her blood was boiling inside her.

"We must be sure about Zuko," she murmured menacingly without taking her eyes away from her brother. He was so imposing, so sure about himself in that painting. Azula felt the urgency of setting that on fire.

"Like I said before, there's no reason to worry," he said, smiling slyly. "Your brother is dead" continued Tai Long with his deep voice. Azula faced him, her eyes wild, analyzing his expression.

" _We must be sure!_ "

"We _are_ sure, my Fire Lord," he said coldly, without changing his expression. "My men intercepted the air bison. The former Fire Lord is now resting in the deepness of the South Sea" Azula didn't seem convinced. She kept staring at Tai Long, looking for any clue that proved her that he was wrong.

"We should find the body," she hissed, but Tai Long interrupted her.

"Fire Lord Azula, now you have a more important matter to take care instead of your coward brother," he said, seriously looking straight to her eyes. "The world must now know about your coronation. They must respect the Fire Nation".

Azula nodded and then she turned her back to get inside the Throne Room. Tai Long followed her, still with his smile on his face. She walked towards the platform but before she reached the throne, she set her blue fire all over the floor, as the Fire Lords used to do. She crossed her own flames and sat on the throne. She faced Tai Long through the fire.

"What is the next step?" she asked him seriously.

"Don't worry, my Fire Lord. My men will travel to the Earth Kingdom to meet Queen Hou Ting" he said, a cold smile upon his lips. "I'm sure we'll get her support"

"Will your men achieve that?" she asked him with her cynical smile. However, Tai Long didn't change his expression.

"The Red Lotus will achieve anything that pleases the Fire Lord"

Azula nodded, dropping her smile. Tai Long had talked with Azula that the colonies of the Fire Nation were in danger, once that the Queen intended to take her lands back. Tai Long assured Azula that they needed to maintain the colonies to stabilize their economy, and also to show power to the rest of the world. He promised Azula that his men would take care of that subject.

Suddenly, Azula remembered something important and she started to speak again.

"How about the Avatar?" she asked seriously and Tai Long didn't change his expression.

"Like I said before, my Fire Lord," he said smiling, his eyes as deathly as hers. "I still have some matters to resolve with him."

* * *

**A/N:** **S. Sgriobhadaireachd beta'd this chapter!**


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